J. K. Rowling’s name was bound to reemerge in conversations, in the wake of HBO’s big Harry Potter announcement, and chatter surrounding the series has predictably given the author a fresh platform.
Rowling’s made it clear, on several occasions, that she’s not concerned with pushback from her former fans. She once again leaned into her lack of concern in response to a particularly vicious takedown, which she’s considering making a permanent fixture.
A far less contentious property is thankfully providing a distraction from the exhaustively ongoing Rowling drama, as fantasy fans prep themselves for the impending release of Peter Pan & Wendy. The upcoming film stars Yara Shahidi as Tinker Bell and the young actress recently opened up about the prejudice she continues to dodge in the lead-up to the film’s release — and her favorite historical Tinker Bell depictions.
Yara Shahidi pays tribute to past Tinker Bells
Peter Pan & Wendy’s take on Tinker Bell, played by Yara Shahidi, is just the latest in a long legacy of sassy fairies. Her version of the character is already breaking barriers, bringing the very first Tinker Bell of color to the big screen, but Shahidi is celebrating her stint in the role by remembering Tinker Bell’s past. She’s got a favorite Tinker Bell performance locked and loaded, and — while many fans might be tempted to agree — we’ll have to add her name to the line-up once Peter Pan & Wendy arrives in theaters.
Peter Pan & Wendy’s Tinker Bell is bigger than the pushback against her portrayal
Shahidi hasn’t had an easy time of it, thanks to racist trolls and their refusal to picture Tinker Bell as anything but a white blonde with a flawless, impossible hourglass figure. The latest take on the character has yet to arrive in theaters, which leaves audiences without a proper idea of how she did in the role, but that didn’t stop plenty of toxic fans from deriding Shahidi for daring to portray a Tinker Bell of color. Thankfully, the hate isn’t giving the 23-year-old actor much pause. She’s focused on providing an honest, fun portrayal for those non-hateful audiences to enjoy.
J. K. Rowling plans to get a masterful troll etched onto her gravestone
Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling is once again on the receiving end of pushback, in the wake of HBO’s decision to reboot her magical franchise. Rowling’s Twitter has likely been flooded with furious messages for weeks now, but one stood out enough to earn a retweet by the author, along with a joke about etching the words into her gravestone.
Rowling isn’t bothered by one fan’s classification of her as a “vituperative giga-troll.” In fact, the author appears to be rather tickled by the classification, which she noted — if engraved on her headstone — would “really make me stand out in the cemetery.”
Published: Apr 24, 2023 10:00 pm