Project Hail Mary Author Andy Weir Reveals the Problem With Harry Potter’s Male Characters

right image by Gage Skidmore, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 & left image by Daniel Ogren licensed under CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Andy Weir, the writer behind Project Hail Mary, shares his two cents about writing male and female characters during his interview via Drinker’s VIP Lounge, where he expressed the challenge of being a male author crafting the persona of a female lead.

In his explanation, he specifically mentioned Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling and joked about how her best-selling novel series didn’t truly capture the minds of teenage boys like Harry Potter and Ron Weasley.

It’s harder as a male author writing a female lead. You get put under the microscope much more so than the reverse. Like people don’t call out female writers writing a male lead, even though they probably should.

Well, I mean, like we can call up JK Rowling and say, ‘Hey, you know, Ron and Harry should just be m—bating all the time.’ And you just don’t understand teenage boys at all. I’ve got some serious questions about the co-ed one big sleeping room dorms that you have at Hogwarts…

Of course, no one is putting those scenes in a children’s book, but we get Weir’s honest sentiments. Male authors do get criticized a lot for their portrayals of women in stories, especially if they confine them to a certain stereotype or use them as a plot device rather than write them as fully realized, complex characters with their own agency and depth.

Andy Weir Reflects on Writing Female Characters as a Male Author

Andy Weir / Credits: WIRED on YouTube

Weir had been very transparent about his struggle writing female characters since the release of his 2017 novel Artemis. The story follows Jasmine ‘Jazz’ Bashara, a porter and part-time smuggler who works to survive, but is also a smart and unconventional woman.

In an interview via The Writing Cooperative, he admitted to finding it challenging to write a female lead, resolving to seek opinions and accepting feedback from several women who read his manuscript. Interestingly, Weir said that Jazz was more like him, the version of himself who is “flawed, makes bad decisions, has regrets, but still a strong moral code.”

Another interesting conversation Weir had about writing female protagonists was with The New York Times. He responded to the negative reactions of readers towards Jazz from Artemis, claiming she’s an unrealistic woman. The author argued that he read these comments as an expression of their dislike for the character.

What I took away from most of those reviews wasn’t so much that I failed to make a realistic female character. It’s that I failed to make a likable character.

This echoes Weir’s sentiment in his most recent interview, as it really highlights how readers feel about his ability to craft female characters. At the end of the day, he says he’s not a woman and that he just gives his best shot.

J.K. Rowling on Crafting Male Leads & Why It Matters to Her

As one of the most celebrated modern authors, Rowling has created several characters beloved by fans all over the world. Ask any fan who their favorite Harry Potter character is, and they would immediately say they are so relatable.

It’s one thing to write about teenage boys and another to write about middle-aged men in The Cuckoo’s Calling, but both were equally challenging. In an interview via The Standard, Rowling shared her thought process in writing male characters.

When I write a man, I take certain things out and give free rein to aspects of me that would not be acceptable.

This contrasts with the initial example she gave about a character from the 1997 movie As Good As It Gets, who said he writes female characters by thinking of a man, and then taking out the sense of logic. In Rowling’s perspective, she uses male characters to express a side of her without inhibitions. “To be honest, I think I’m quite blokey,” she added jokingly.

What are your thoughts on writing male and female characters? Let us know in the comments!