Since the days of Harry Potter, a lot has changed for everyone involved, but actor Matthew Lewis is the latest star to face controversy…
Now, of course, we all know J.K Rowling is the woman behind the wizarding world of Harry Potter.
What started out as a mere musing while stuck on a delayed train in London, 1990, led to a young Joanne Rowling conjuring up the magical story of Harry Potter.
It’s become a huge success.
Thirty years since it’s creation, over 500 million copies of the book franchise have been sold worldwide in eighty different languages.
Making it one of the best-selling book series of all time.
Rowling famously struggled with marriage and money issues in the 4 years she spent working on the first Harry Potter book. In 1994, she found herself as a newly-divorced single mom living out of her sister’s spare room in the Scottish city of Edinburgh.
And, unbelievably, her idea was turned down by several different publishers…
Who reportedly found the idea to be “too long-winded for children.”
Even her literary agent allegedly warned her, “You do realize, you will never make a fortune out of writing children’s books?”
But, regardless of her personal struggles, she continued working on her vision, frequently taking to small coffee shops across Edinburgh to complete her debut book.
And out it came …
500 copies of the debut Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone finally hit the shelves in bookstores across the United Kingdom.
The book was an instant success.
The adventures of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger were quick to capture a vast and loyal fanbase, with children and adults alike being instantly captivated by the novel.
And, in the years following from The Philosopher’s Stone…
Rowling went on to release 6 more books that detailed Harry’s fight against the notorious Lord Voldemort, which only made her unique take on the fantasy world of magic even more known and loved across the world.
We became Harry Potter obsessed.
So, of course, it didn’t take long for the movie adaptations to come along.
The final chapter of the Harry Potter franchise, The Deathly Hallows, was released back in 2007…
And fans were finally able to discover the fate of Harry Potter and the rest of the wizarding community.
Something which Rowling has claimed she knew from the very beginning.
Including the collaboration on the 2-part play, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and the hugely successful blockbuster, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
But in recent years, many have deemed the author to be extremely problematic.
Rowling cause huge controversy on Twitter after she penned what many perceived as a transphobic commentary.
Even former Harry Potter actors such as Rupert Grint chimed in and stood against what Rowling had said…
Backing both Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson, Grint said he fully supports the Trans community.
Writing: “Trans women are women. Trans men are men.”
Earlier this year the Harry Potter reunion called Return to Hogwarts, saw Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, and a host of other cast members come together on the 20th anniversary of the release of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
However, there was one particular person missing from the show…
But now the star has revealed the real reason…
“I was asked to be on that and I decided I didn’t want to do it. It was about the films more than the books,” she said.
“Quite rightly, that was what the anniversary was about. I was asked to do it and I decided not to,” Rowling claimed.
And now another Harry Potter star has hit headlines – for all the wrong reasons…
Matthew Lewis, who famously played Neville Longbottom, was recently kicked out of first-class on a plane.
He then took to social media and tweeted: “Confirmed. @AirCanada is the worst airline in North America. And that’s saying something.”
“Kicking me out of first class to back of plane is what it is but doing it at the gate. Literally tearing my ticket up. No explanation other than ‘full flight’. Said if I wanted to sort it I should go to customer service. I asked where that was. ‘Toronto.’ I’m in Orlando,” he continued.
“Honestly never experienced anything like it. I’ve been bumped before. Comes with the territory. But at the gate, less than two minutes to boarding and without explanation or apology? Never. They even said if I wanna complain or get a refund I have to reach out to them!” Lewis wrote.
He was reportedly removed from first-class due to an overbooking mistake.
However, some people were not happy with how the star reacted…
“You might have acted a nice guy role on Harry Potter movies but in real life you come across as a spoiled brat,” one person wrote.
“Not a huge fan of Air Canada at all but most airlines are experiencing post pandemic issues since everyone is trying to travel again. Patience is not your strong suit,” another added.
Speaking to CTV News Toronto, Lewis reiterated his frustration.
“Air Canada customer service is s***e.
“And we as a society should not be okay with normalizing the profiteering of overbooking flights and kicking people off flights,” he said.
What do you think?