HBO finally unveiled the first six cast members yesterday (April 14), charged with the difficult task of bringing Harry Potter back to life for their ambitious 10-year-long series.
While the announcement ended months of relentless speculation, it triggered a tidal wave of reactions online, ranging from very positive to absolutely negative.
One of the actors who reportedly found himself the target of said backlash was Nick Frost, who is set to succeed the late Robbie Coltrane as the beloved Hagrid.
While many fans were happy with the casting, a vocal segment of the internet accused him of “siding with a bigot,” referencing the franchise’s creator, JK Rowling.
Actor Nick Frost’s Instagram has been flooded by negative comments after being confirmed for HBO’s Harry Potter
His Instagram profile—once a place where fans could express their appreciation for the actor—has now been flooded with negative comments, forcing the actor to turn off comments in his recent post celebrating the announcement.
As Bored Panda previously reported, the announcement was initially received with excitement by netizens, who shared words of encouragement with the actor as soon as it was made public.
“Great choice, he’ll definitely bring the warmth and humor Hagrid needs,” one fan wrote, with similar reactions setting Frost’s Hagrid to be one of the reboot’s most beloved characters.
Further endearing was Frost’s heartfelt tribute to Hagrid’s previous late actor, Robbie Coltrane, who passed away in October 2022 at 72.
“Robbie, I promise I won’t let you down,” Frost wrote on Instagram, expressing his honor at being the one chosen to carry the torch of the beloved character into the future.
His post, however, served as a magnet for negative comments, most of which centered on his association with JK Rowling, who has become a controversial figure in recent years due to expressing her views as a Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminist (TERF), a branch of feminism that opposes gender ideology.
“This is so sad. Are you just going to keep turning off comments and deleting posts to avoid legitimate criticism from your fans?” one user wrote.
“If you do this HP show, you will have to answer for JK and excuse her comments for the rest of your career. Is that what you want?”
Frost was forced to turn off comments on his original post, leading netizens to fill unrelated photos with their criticism
Frost’s decision to turn off comments on his recent post motivated his detractors to spill their vitriol on unrelated photos in his profile, causing his entire page to be filled with criticism of his participation in the new series.
“The fact you’ve turned comments off on the previous post shows you know exactly why taking that role is a poor decision,” another wrote.
“You’ve lost the respect of millions, and I’m so disappointed in one of my favorite actors of all time.”
The nature of the reactions contrasted greatly with the impressions more neutral netizens shared on sites such as Reddit or X, where the announcement was received positively, citing the actor’s lovable screen presence and comedic charm as a great fit for the character.
Regardless of his previous work, words like “coward,” “gross,” “bigot,” and similar attacks on the actor’s character have flooded his social media sites.
The other five actors received similar comments, but the intensity of the vitriol against Frost was unmatched
The backlash is the result of JK Rowling expressing her belief in s*x being biological, immutable, and binary. As a result, she opposes the existence of concepts such as gender identity, self-identification, and transgenderism.
Her detractors believe her views to be transphobic and they have engaged in heated discussions with the author on social media over the matter since at least 2020.
Adding fuel to the fire is the tension between Rowling and the three leading actors of the Harry Potter movie series, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint, who have publicly distanced themselves from her due to her views.
The HBO series is set to be one of the most ambitious projects in the television service’s recent history, aiming for up to ten years of seasons covering each of the seven franchise books.
While fans still await the main trio of Harry, Ron, and Hermione to be confirmed, these first announcements gave fans a peek into the tone and direction of the show and actors a taste of the backlash they’re likely to receive as they join the cast.
“Unethical.” Negative comments kept flooding the actor’s social media
