John Tiffany of Harry Potter play says J.K. Rowling is 'responsible for a huge amount of literacy'

John Tiffany, who will direct the much-buzzed about play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (which, J.K. Rowling will have you know, is not a prequel), gave an interview with Scotland Now about when he first met Rowling 20 years ago.

“I first met Jo years ago when we didn’t know who each other was,” Tiffany tells Scotland Now. “I had just started at the Traverse in Edinburgh, and now and again I would see a woman with a pram writing in longhand in the cafe. … We knew each other to nod at. I’d be having meetings with writers and actors and I’d see her. Eventually we’d say hello to each other and a year later—bam! Then I realized that’s what she was doing.”

Tiffany has nothing but glowing praise and admiration for his collaborator. “They were instrumental,” he says of the Harry Potter series. “Jo would never take the credit for being responsible for a huge amount of literacy, but she should.”

Rowling herself tweeted a link to the Scotland Now interview:

Head to Scotland Now to find out whether Tiffany thinks the famed Harry Potter film actors will make an appearance in the stage production.

•J.K. Rowling wants you to know that the Harry Potter play is not a prequel

•Harry Potter and the Cursed Child play headed to London stage [UPDATE]

•J.K. Rowling Reveals A ‘Harry Potter’ Play Is In The Works