J.K. Rowling defends casting Korean actress Claudia Kim as Nagini in Fantastic Beasts

J.K. Rowling has defended her decision to cast Korean actress Claudia Kim as Nagini in the forthcoming Fantastic Beasts sequel. 

The trailer for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald was released on Tuesday and fans were astounded to learn that Voldemort’s loyal reptile servant and Horcrux was a Maledictus – a female with a blood curse which will turn them into a beast. 

After revealing she had kept the fact a secret for 20 years, critics soon claimed her decision to make Nagini of Asian descent was a hasty choice to inject diversity – yet she swiftly hit back by pointing out the origins of the character’s name. 

Hitting  back: J.K. Rowling has defended her decision to cast Korean actress Claudia Kim as Nagini in the forthcoming Fantastic Beasts sequel

Earlier this week, Harry Potter fans went wild while dissecting the new trailer for the upcoming Fantastic Beasts sequel, particularly when it was revealed that Voldemort’s beloved snake, servant and Horcrux Nagini was once a woman.

The super-quick reference has left fans shocked and begging for more details — and J.K. Rowling has helpfully offered a few more tidbits of information on social media. 

In the clip, Credence — the destruction-causing Obscurial from the first film — calls out the name ‘Nagini’, before the camera pans to Claudia Kim, who morphs into a snake in front of a crowd at a circus – leading to the stunned response.

In the original Harry Potter series, Nagini is the name of Voldemort’s pet snake, whom He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named turns into a Horcrux, which is untimately destroyed by Neville Longbottom during the Battle of Hogwarts.

Hitting  back: The trailer for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald was released on Tuesday and fans were astounded to learn that Voldemort's loyal reptile servant and horcrux was a Maledictus - a a female with a blood curse which will turn them into a beast

Hitting  back: The trailer for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald was released on Tuesday and fans were astounded to learn that Voldemort’s loyal reptile servant and horcrux was a Maledictus – a a female with a blood curse which will turn them into a beast

But the new Fantastic Beasts trailer revealed that Nagini wasn’t always Voldemort’s snake — she was actually human – before divulging the Maledictus secret.

One Twitter user appeared perturbed by the news as the insider insisted the decision to cast Claudia was a last minute choice to inject more diversity into the series, after former criticisms surrounding the cast. 

The critic penned: ‘listen Joanne, we get it, you didn’t include enough representation when you wrote the books. But suddenly making Nagini into a Korean woman is garbage. Representation as an afterthought for more woke points is not good representation.’ 

Swiftly dispelling the idea that Nagini’s Asian origins were a last minute decision, she pointed out the name Nagini, which was created when she began writing the iconic books nearly three decades ago, has Asian roots.

Not true: But the new Fantastic Beasts trailer revealed that Nagini wasn't always Voldemort's snake — she was actually human - before divulging the Maledictus secret

Not true: But the new Fantastic Beasts trailer revealed that Nagini wasn’t always Voldemort’s snake — she was actually human – before divulging the Maledictus secret

The author wrote: ‘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.’

Earlier in the week, when fans began to tweet their reactions, J.K. Rowling gleefully responded, showing no surprise that people were shocked. She also cleared at least one thing up: Nagini is not an Animagus.

In the Harry Potter universe, Animagi are skilled witches and wizards who can transform into animals at will. Professor McGonagall is one — she can turn into a cat — as were James Potter (a stag), Sirius Black (a dog), and Peter Pettigrew (a rat).

Back again: Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald, the sequel to 2016's Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, sees Eddie Redmayne return as Newt Scamander, while Jude Law plays a young Albus Dumbledore

Back again: Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald, the sequel to 2016’s Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, sees Eddie Redmayne return as Newt Scamander, while Jude Law plays a young Albus Dumbledore

‘Not an Animagus. A Maledictus. Big difference,’ Rowling tweeted.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald, the sequel to 2016’s Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, sees Eddie Redmayne return as Newt Scamander, while Jude Law plays a young Albus Dumbledore.

The Maledictus is new to the Harry Potter universe. The term was first introduced on Pottermore, Rowling’s Potter-themed website, but details were scarce. At the time, it was only said that there was a new, ‘mysterious character played by Claudia Kim’. 

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