Best selling author of Harry Potter series JK Rowling was criticized for casting an Asian actress to play the character of Lord Voldemort’s snake in Fantastic Beasts.
Netizens rose allegations to Rowling upon the release of the promotional video of the film last Wednesday which showed Claudia Kim‘s character turn into a snake. They pointed out Rowling’s lack of representation from characters in her novel. They were not happy about casting Kim as the submissive pet to a Caucasian man.
South Korean actress Claudia Kim plays Lord Voldemort’s pet snake Nagini in the second installment of the Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. In Harry Potter film Deathly Hollows, Nagini was beheaded by Neville Longbottom.
In Harry Potter, the snake is described as the submissive character and property of Lord Voldemort who drinks her ”milk” to gain his strength.
Rowling explained her thoughts on Twitter that Nagini is a naga, a snake-like mythical creature derived from Indonesian mythology. She also added that Nagini is a maledictus, a woman who turns into a snake after being cursed.
The Naga are snake-like mythical creatures of Indonesian mythology, hence the name ‘Nagini.’ They are sometimes depicted as winged, sometimes as half-human, half-snake. Indonesia comprises a few hundred ethnic groups, including Javanese, Chinese and Betawi. Have a lovely day 🐍
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) September 26, 2018
Despite Rowling’s explanation, netizens still find the information insufficient to support her decision. They continued to point toward the role of being simply the white man’s loyal pet as an Asian actress.
Meanwhile, the film has already faced controversy upon casting Johnny Depp as Gellert Grindewald which has pointed attention to this current controversy.
The film is set to hit the big screen in November.
What are your thoughts about this controversy?
ging1030 is a multi-fandom fan of Kpop since 2010. She enjoys watching Asian dramas and variety shows like “Running Man”. She is an avid fan of Song triplets and Song Joong Ki. For her, Kdrama is life. They are her inspirations in life so she can live on and do what her heart desires!
Media: Warner Brothers