Ralph Fiennes Calls 'Verbal Abuse' Directed at J.K. Rowling 'Disgusting' and 'Appalling'

Harry Potter actor Ralph Fiennes has come to J.K. Rowling's defense again.

In a new interview with the New York Times published Saturday, the 59-year-old actor, who plays Tom Riddle / Lord Voldemort in the final five Harry Potter films, said the "verbal abuse directed at [Rowling] is disgusting, it's appalling," in reaction to continued controversy the Potter author generates on social media regarding her stances on the transgender community.

"J.K. Rowling has written these great books about empowerment, about young children finding themselves as human beings," Fiennes told the outlet. "It's about how you become a better, stronger, more morally centered human being."

Fiennes stressed that he "can understand a viewpoint that might be angry" at 57-year-old Rowling's public commentary on gender.

"But it's not some obscene, über-right-wing fascist," he told the Times. "It's just a woman saying, 'I'm a woman and I feel I'm a woman and I want to be able to say that I'm a woman.' And I understand where she's coming from. Even though I'm not a woman."

Fiennes previously weighed in on controversies surrounding Rowling in a March 2021 interview with the U.K.'s The Telegraph, in which he claimed the "level of hatred" aimed at Rowling was uncalled for, in his opinion.

"I can't understand the vitriol directed at her. I can understand the heat of an argument, but I find this age of accusation and the need to condemn irrational," said Fiennes. "I find the level of hatred that people express about views that differ from theirs, and the violence of language towards others, disturbing."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Rowling first came under fire in June 2020 when she appeared to support anti-transgender sentiments in a series of tweets. Though she denied her views on feminism are transphobic, she doubled down on her controversial standpoints in a lengthy essay shared on her website days later.

As the author responded to backlash at the time, Rowling wrote that she refuses to "bow down to a movement that I believe is doing demonstrable harm in seeking to erode 'woman' as a political and biological class and offering cover to predators like few before it."

A number of Potter actors have spoken out against Rowling's views in recent times. In January, Rupert Grint wrote a piece for the The Times' "What I've Learnt" series, in which he said he "[does not] necessarily agree with everything my auntie says, but she's still my auntie," and called the matter "a tricky one."

Also in January, Jason Isaacs — who plays Lucius Malfoy in the movies — noted that his and Rowling's opinions "differ in many different areas" in an interview with The Telegraph.

Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Grint have each spoken out separately against Rowling's much-criticized remarks regarding the transgender community on other occasions.

"Trans people are who they say they are and deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned or told they aren't who they say they are," Watson, 32, wrote on Twitter in June 2020. "I want my trans followers to know that I and so many other people around the world see you, respect you and love you for who you are."