For Potterheads across the world, the announcement of another peek into the Harry Potter universe was widely celebrated when J.K. Rowling announced that in May 2016, a two-part play - Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - will be appearing on stage in London. As a Potterhead myself (A proud Hufflepuff), I was thrilled to hear that my favourite franchise had another addition to it.
Today, I was even more thrilled as the lead adult cast for the Cursed Child was announced. 'The Cursed Child' features adult versions of the beloved Harry, Ron and Hermione; Harry being played by Paul Thornley, Ron by Jamie Parker and Hermione by Noma Dumezweni.
Since the casting was announced, there have been many who have voiced criticisms about the casting of Noma Demezweni, on the grounds that she is a woman of colour. J.K. Rowling was speedy in taking to Twitter to defending the casting of Dumezweni, posting "Canon: brown eyes, frizzy hair and very clever. White skin was never specified. Rowling loves black Hermione", along with actor Matthew Lewis, who played Neville Longbottom in the eight-film franchise, who similarly took to Twitter to combat criticism, posting "And Neville Longbottom was blonde. I really don't care. Good luck to her".
As a woman of colour myself, the casting of Dumezweni made me simultaneously overjoyed and saddened. Overjoyed, as when I read Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone at 9-10 years old, seeing the description of Hermione made my heart sing. She had big bushy hair, large front teeth, and was very clever. It was the first time I had ever read a book that had a character that seemed like me. In fact, I was almost certain that Rowling had fashioned Hermione after me. At that age - back before I discovered straighteners and before I had my braces - I was a studious, inquisitive, often lonely, and occasionally bossy child. As I continued to read the Harry Potter books, the more I read, the more of myself I saw in Hermione. The bullying she faced for being a Muggle, I got for being different too. The way she was told she was too serious, I was told the same. I felt that for once, even though she was just a fictional character, that there was someone like me. So knowing today that Noma Dumezweni was going to play my favourite heroine, I was overjoyed. Don't misunderstand me, I loved Emma Watson as Hermione Granger too, I couldn't have asked for a better portrayal of my favourite character ever. But knowing that Hermione was to be played by a person of colour and hopefully show that being responsible, intelligent and also so caring wasn't limited to - all due respect here - a white person, made me very happy indeed.
But knowing that Dumezweni will face, and already has faced, backlash over her casting made me so incredibly sad. It shouldn't be that in 2015 a woman of colour is criticised for wanting to play a character in a play, especially one that portrays so many positive - no, exemplary - qualities to the world. Yet it seems that the stereotypes of people of colour in film and literature are so heavily ingrained that we still have so far to go to overcome them. While, in fact, it may be that for many, seeing Watson's portrayal as Hermione in the franchise for so many years and growing to love her, it will be difficult to adjust to not only a new actress, but one of an entirely different heritage.
However, the criticisms on racial grounds alone make me further and further disillusioned with the idea that we will have racial acceptance and tolerance in literature and film in the near future. I hope that society will prove me wrong. All I can possibly say for the meantime is that I know Dumezweni was cast because she clearly wowed her audition panel and that she will be a fantastic Hermione. I hope that she will continue to inspire girls and women in the Black and Minority Ethnic communities that we are allowed to identify with a character if we feel it describes us well, and that we can play anyone that we may choose.
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