Bel Powley Joins HBO's Harry Potter Series as Petunia Dursley, Distances Herself From Rowling's Gender Views
Bel Powley has been cast as Petunia Dursley in HBO's forthcoming Harry Potter television series — and she wants to be clear about where she stands on the woman who created the character.
In an interview with The Telegraph published on 10 August 2026, Powley said she "strongly disagrees" with J.K. Rowling's views on gender. She told the newspaper the trans community "deserve safety, dignity, respect and total acceptance" (Variety).
Rowling serves as an executive producer on the HBO adaptation. Her public stance on transgender issues — particularly her opposition to self-identification policies and her commentary on sex and gender — has drawn sustained criticism from LGBTQ+ advocates and a number of actors associated with the franchise. Rowling has not commented publicly on Powley's remarks as of publication.
Powley is not the first cast member to address the tension. John Lithgow, who plays Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore, told The New Yorker Radio Hour in April 2026 that he disagrees with much of what Rowling has said, though he believes much of it has been "twisted and misrepresented." Lithgow admitted he considered walking away from the series over the controversy but ultimately decided against it (Variety).
For her part, Powley defended the casting decisions amid the backlash and said she loves Harry Potter. She described herself as part of the first generation of readers who grew up with the books (Huffington Post UK).
Petunia Dursley is the sister of Harry's late mother, Lily. In the books, Petunia takes Harry in after his parents are killed and raises him with open resentment — the character who makes the cupboard under the stairs a home. Powley joins a cast that includes Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, Nick Frost as Hagrid, and Lithgow as Dumbledore. Mark Mylod directs, and Francesca Gardiner serves as showrunner — the head writer who shapes the series' creative direction.
The first season, adapting Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, is set to premiere at Christmas 2026. HBO has already renewed the series for a second season, which will adapt Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Variety).
For a production of this scale — hundreds of crew members, a writers' room, and a planned multi-season arc — every casting announcement lands under a magnifying glass. Powley's remarks make clear that some actors joining the series see no contradiction between loving the stories and disagreeing with their creator's public positions. Whether audiences draw the same line is a separate question, and one the Christmas premiere may begin to answer.
