Noma Dumezweni is a noted British theater and television actor, and she has just been cast as Hermione Granger in the upcoming London production of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.” Alongside Dumezweni, actors Jamie Parker and Paul Thornley will also star as Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. This highly awaited play revisits the beloved characters later in their lives and has Potterheads around the world steaming with anticipation.
Yet, social media exploded with mixed reviews after the news hit that a black actress would be portraying Ms. Granger in the new play. The real bombshell should be that Paul Thornley doesn’t have red hair. I mean, come on. You cannot have a Ron Weasley without that red hair and freckles. Since fans know Hermione Granger as played by the white actress Emma Watson, there was some backlash at the immediate press release. However, J. K. Rowling, the author of the series, quickly shut down all the negative comments about the new look for Hermione in one simple tweet.
Actor Matthew Lewis, who portrayed Neville Longbottom, also weighed in on the subject.
As an extreme Potter fan, I couldn’t be any happier with the casting decision. Hermione Granger is a fierce, brave, intelligent female lead who girls all over the globe should identify with. Hermione is not a look, she is an attitude and a force to be reckoned with. Hermione never hid her ambition or brains to impress a guy or fit in with the crowd. And although the series main focus is on the Boy Who Lived, Harry wouldn’t have made it very far without Hermione to save his grass at least twice every book. I am not saying Hermione was meant to be black in the books and movies the entire time. J. K. Rowling, in all her brilliance and elegance, has purposefully made Hermione, Ron, and Harry characters in which race has no bounds or importance. Only their personalities matter. As for Hermione Granger, she will always be the witch I identified with most because of her spunk, drive, intelligence, and bravery. And because she was the witch I always longed to grow up to be.
