"I don't have the power to sack an actor from the series, and I wouldn't exercise it if I did. I don't believe in taking away people's jobs or livelihoods because they hold legally protected beliefs that differ from mine," Rowling wrote on X.

I don’t have the power to sack an actor from the series and I wouldn’t exercise it if I did. I don’t believe in taking away people’s jobs or livelihoods because they hold legally protected beliefs that differ from mine. pic.twitter.com/nKcAl3gcvO

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 5, 2025

Essiedu, who will play Severus Snape in the new HBO series, signed the open letter, along with more than 1,500 film and TV figures, that condemned the ruling which judged that the terms' woman' and 'sex' in the Equality Act refer only to a biological woman.

"We the undersigned film and television professionals stand in solidarity with the trans, non-binary and intersex communities who have been impacted by the Supreme Court ruling on April 17," the letter read.

"The Supreme Court's ruling that, under the Equality Act, 'woman' is defined by biological sex, states that 'the concept of sex is binary, a person is either a woman or a man'.

"We believe the ruling undermines the lived reality and threatens the safety of trans, non-binary and intersex people living in the UK."

"Film and television are powerful tools for empathy and education, and we believe passionately in the ability of the screen to change hearts and minds," the letter continued.

"This is our opportunity to be on the right side of history."

Former Harry Potter stars Emma Watson, Eddie Redmayne, and Katie Leung also signed the open letter, as well as Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan and The Last Of Us actor Bella Ramsey.

The letter stated that film and TV professionals "must now urgently work to ensure that our trans, non-binary and intersex colleagues, collaborators and audiences are protected from discrimination and harassment in all areas of the industry – whether on set, in a production office or at a cinema".