Ally Pankiw, a director known for her work on Black Mirror and The Great, has publicly declined an offer to direct episodes of the upcoming Harry Potter TV reboot, citing JK Rowling's views on gender. In an Instagram post, she shared a text exchange with her representatives in which she emphatically refused the opportunity, stating it is 'simply this easy to say no to funding transphobia.'
Pankiw's emphatic refusal
The text exchange, which Pankiw posted on Instagram, began with her reps asking: 'I have an instinct on the answer, but I feel compelled to ask. Harry Potter? Hard no?' Pankiw responded: 'Absolutely f—ing not! Lol,' adding 'Thank you for asking.' Her reps replied: 'Of course :) I assumed as much (And agreed).'
In her caption, Pankiw wrote: 'It simply is this easy to say no to funding transphobia! (Also this was for directing, not acting… obviously lol).' The post quickly attracted supportive comments, with one user writing 'Putting the Ally in ally,' and another adding 'Yess boom done easy!'
Support from Kate Herron and context
More notably, Kate Herron, who has directed Doctor Who and Loki, expressed solidarity with Pankiw. Herron commented: 'Yeah, thank you exactly! Respect and love to you, Ally. They’ve asked me twice, and I’ve had to explain my answer is never gonna change from a no.'
JK Rowling has faced accusations of transphobia from critics and LGBTQ+ organisations due to her advocacy for gender-critical views and legal definitions of sex. Rowling denies these accusations, arguing she is defending biological sex.
Recent debate reignited by Bel Powley
Pankiw's exchange comes days after Bel Powley, who is set to play Aunt Petunia in the reboot, told The Telegraph that she 'strongly disagrees with J.K. Rowling’s views on gender' and believes 'the trans community deserve safety and dignity and respect and total acceptance.' However, she defended her role, saying: 'But I love Harry Potter. I grew up with books. I am from that first generation of readers and, again, I love magic and spookiness.'
While some praised Powley for her stance, others accused her of hypocrisy. Rowling declined to comment when approached by Metro, and Metro has also approached Pankiw for comment.
