Nick Frost to star alongside trans comedian Jordan Gray in new comedy Transaction
– 2 min read
Nick Frost, who drew controversy when he was cast in HBO’s forthcoming Harry Potter series, is to star in new trans comedy, Transaction, which features a trans lead.
Transaction centres on Liv (played by Jordan Gray), a self-described “transgender egomaniac” who causes nightly chaos during her supermarket shift. Gray, who also created the show, originally launched it as a series of shorts for Comedy Central in 2020. Frost plays Liv’s boss in the series, which debuts on 24 June on ITV.
News of Frost’s involvement in Transaction came before it was revealed he would portray Hagrid in HBO’s Harry Potter reboot—a casting choice that has stirred controversy due to ongoing backlash against J.K. Rowling’s public stance on trans issues. Despite HBO’s efforts to distance the series from Rowling’s views, network head Casey Bloys confirmed she remains “very involved” in the production.
Frost has publicly distanced himself from Rowling’s beliefs. In an interview with The Observer, he shared that he had long hoped to play Hagrid, even going so far as to write the name—albeit misspelled as “Hadridge”—5,000 times in an attempt to manifest the role.
“[Rowling is] entitled to her opinion, and I’m entitled to mine—they just don’t align in any way, shape, or form,” Frost said. He also emphasised the importance of continuing the conversation around the controversy: “We shouldn’t just hope it will go away, because it makes it easier. Maybe we should educate ourselves.”
