J.K. Rowling

J.K. Rowling responds to criticism over Nagini actress in 'Fantastic Beasts'

J.K. Rowling is not keeping quiet after backlash from fans over the choice of actor for Nagini.

The Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald creator took to Twitter to share more information about the character.

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The thrilling final trailer for the forthcoming Fantastic Beasts movie dropped on Tuesday. However, fans had more to discuss than Newt Scamander’s encounter with his brother.

One of the scenes presents Credence (Ezra Miller) whispering a well-known name for Harry Potter fans: Nagini. The trailer than shows a women transforming into a snake, which was shocking for two reasons.

First, it revealed that Nagini used to be human. Second, the woman-turned-into snake is played by South Korean actor Claudia Kim. As Teen Vogue points out, the role started a discussion about representation and bias.

The Fantastic Beasts franchise has faced criticism for the lack of representation before. However, many fans thought that an Asian actor playing the role is problematic considering Nagini’s submissive character and her ties to Voldemort.

Fans took to Twitter to voice their complaints

“I like Claudia Kim. I’m glad she’s getting work and it seems like she has a cool take on the role,” Lee Shorten writes. “I’m sure she will bring humanity, dignity and vulnerability to Nagini. But also… Did it have to be Nagini?”

Replying directly to Rowling, Jen Moulton also explained the concerns.

“Representation as an afterthought for more woke points is not good representation,” the user shares.

Replying to Moulton, the writer shared some insight about the origins of Nagini, explaining why an Asian actor fits the role.

“The Naga are snake-like mythical creatures of Indonesian mythology, hence the name ‘Nagini,’” Rowling writes. “They are sometimes depicted as winged, sometimes as half-human, half-snake. Indonesia comprises a few hundred ethnic groups, including Javanese, Chinese and Betawi.”

More about Nagini

The Harry Potter author also revealed some other background information about the character, who is a Maledictus.

“Maledictuses are always women, whereas werewolves can be either sex,” she explains. “The Maledictus carries a blood curse from birth, which is passed down from mother to daughter.”

Answering some fan questions, Rowling revealed that Maledictus aren’t necessarily snakes, and that she had been keeping the secret about Nagini since the first Harry Potter book.

Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them: The Crimes Of Grindelwald hits theaters Friday, Nov. 16.

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