Was Harry Potter bi? Some important, and close to the subject, actors say… probably.
Earlier today, we asked you if you could name some of the most popular same-sex ships in popular entertainment media, and Draco/Harry is a very big one. It’s the idea of schoolboy rivals secretly being schoolboy crushes that fuels this ship. And the ship keeps on sailing years after the end of the book series.
But now some actors from the popular film series say that they totally get where fans are coming from.
While Evanna Lynch (who played Luna Lovegood) isn’t a fan of the idea, Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) and Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy himself) are more open to the idea.
While celebrating the opening of a new rollercoaster at Universal Orlando’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter, the actors were asked by In the Know Pop Culture whether they believe Harry was in love with Draco.
“Harry was constantly crushing on Draco,” Felton insisted. “He just couldn’t hide it.”
“I think he made quite an impression on Ron, as well,” Grint replied.
Clearly, these men are just joking and having a laugh, but the idea is one that’s circulated around the Harry Potter series for years.
While fans can ship a couple from the smallest of interactions between characters, Draco and Harry had numerous meetings. The entire Harry Potter series followed this hateful rivalry that resulted in a quiet and mutual respect. That is just fodder feed for LGBTQ fans and fans of LGBTQ content.
On top of that, playwright Jack Thorne, author J.K. Rowling, and company added fuel to the fire by making a play that caters towards the idea. While Cursed Child doesn’t see Harry and Draco starting up a relationship, it does see their sons creating a co-dependent friendship based on intense feelings. And if not for the inclusion of two straight crushes (in a culmination of about 10-15 lines in about 5 scenes of the 4-hour show), a gay romance would be completely possible.
Frankly, this writer is just awaiting the day when a bold director decides to interpret the relationship as a blossoming romance. There is only a matter of time until one of the four productions across the world (London, New York City, San Francisco, and Sydney) decides to do it. And the show could still stay within the parameters of the script. Until then, there is a chance for LGBTQ stories elsewhere in the fandom.
While J.K. Rowling has gotten a lot of flak for not properly representing LGBTQ characters (some of that is warranted like with Cursed Child and some of it isn’t), it looks like she and Hollywood executives aren’t ready to give up the cashcow that is the Wizarding World. So while Harry and Draco will simply never be a thing, there is the possibility of another gay rivalry and romance becoming a big factor of the franchise. Namely, Dumbledore and Grindelwald.
Yes, fans aren’t happy with how the relationship has been depicted so far. Or rather, the fact that it hasn’t been depicted at all. But let’s be honest, J.K. Rowling never made an announcement that she would be depicting a gay romance in this new film series. It was LGBTQ fans who got excited at the idea of exploring a gay Dumbledore when the prequels were announced. In addition, it was director David Yates who shared that Dumbledore wasn’t “explicitly gay” in the second film. For the most part, J.K. said nothing on the matter (though, maybe that’s the real problem).
That said, J.K. Rowling announced post-Crimes of Grindelwald that she wants to depict the relationship for the complicated tale of love and power that it is. But knowing J.K. and her love of long-form storytelling, it may take a while to get there. There are three more films left in the series, after all.
So from schoolboy rivals to starcrossed lovers with a tragic destiny, the Harry Potter and Wizarding World franchise has seen both a lot and nearly nothing when it comes to LGBTQ characters. But until these gay wizards and romances actually show up on the page, on the screen, or on the stage, we will always have our ships to fall back on. And hey, if Tom Felton says Harry liked Draco, we’ve got a right to fantasize.
