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Black Hermione Creates Dissent; Next Harry Potter Installment Debuts On Stage Next Year
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Black Hermione Creates Dissent; Next Harry Potter Installment Debuts On Stage Next Year

by The Daily SeniDecember 23, 2015

GUESS who will be taking on the role of Hermione Granger in an upcoming West End run of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child? To everybody’s surprise, it won’t be a white girl with brown eyes and frizzy hair — and we don’t mind at all.

On Sunday night, the cast of the play was released and it was revealed that Swaziland-born actress Noma Dumezweni has been chosen to play the feisty and intelligent character. Dumazweni is notable for acting in numerous Shakespeare plays, also having appeared in TV series Doctor Who on top of receiving a Laurence Olivier Award

Most people stood by the choice, many ecstatic to see Hermione played by a person of colour — even author J. K. Rowling, who wrote the entire Harry Potter series, was happy about the choice. But as seen on AJ+, what would Harry Potter be without the trolls, eh?

Gif from

Some fans didn’t take to the news as happily and lashed out on Twitter, reacting negatively towards having a a black woman play Hermione. On , people said things like, “Not being racist but how can a black woman play Hermione? This play has lost all credibility.”

Rowling shot down haters on Twitter, claiming that there was never a specification of Hermione’s race.

“Canon: brown eyes, frizzy hair and very clever. White skin was never specified. Rowling loves black Hermione,” she .

Casting for culturally-iconic roles have always been difficult internationally. An infamous example includes the commotion caused when ethnic-Chinese actors starred in lead roles for Academy Award-nominated Memoirs of a Geisha. Recently making headlines is entertainment company Lionsgate‘s upcoming Gods of Egypt, which has issued an apology for casting predominantly white actors in Egyptian roles.

The upcoming production is based on a story by Rowling, written by Jack ThorneHarry Potter and the Cursed Child features the trio Harry, Hermione and Ron as adults working at the Ministry of Magic. The production has cast Jamie Parker as Harry Potter and Paul Thornley as Ron Weasley.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child opens 30 July 2016.

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The Daily Seni
The Daily Seni delivers news on local arts and culture, aiming to provide insight into Malaysia's ever-growing creative community as well as provoke thought and discussion.
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