John Lithgow has addressed the backlash to his Harry Potter casting after he was implored to walk away due to JK Rowling’s views.
The American actor, 80, has been confirmed for the role of Albus Dumbledore in the upcoming HBO TV adaptation of the wizarding franchise.
Original author Rowling, 60, serves as an executive producer on the reboot, which will also star Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, and Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid.
Those who have taken roles, however, have come under serious fire due to the Rowling association, given how she has publicly made anti-transgender comments for the past several years.
Her remarks have included saying trans women shouldn’t be allowed into female-only spaces and hitting out at ‘celebs’ whom she said ‘used their platforms to cheer on the transitioning of minors’.
When quizzed on his decision to remain a part of the project, which is due for release next year, Lithgow said it was a ‘hard’ one to make.
He also declared that he is ’perfectly ready for collisions of opinion’ and ‘understands’ that not every person will support his choice.
Lithgow told Variety that he takes the subject of Rowling’s anti-trans views (which first came to light when she ‘liked’ transphobic tweets in 2017 and 2018) ‘extremely seriously’.
‘She has created this amazing canon for young people, and it has jumped into the consciousness of the society,’ he added of the Potter universe. ‘It’s about good versus evil, kindness versus cruelty.
‘I find her views ironic and inexplicable.’
He insisted that he had never met Rowling and that, despite her contributing to writing and casting decisions on the show, she is ‘not really involved in this production at all’.
‘But all the people who are are remarkable,’ he defended.
The six-time Emmy winner went on to say: ‘It upsets me when people are opposed to me having anything to do with this.
‘But in “Potter” canon, you see no trace of transphobic sensitivity.’
Describing the Hogwarts headmaster as a ‘beautiful role’, he praised Rowling for writing a ‘meditation of kindness and acceptance’.
‘It was a hard decision. It made me uncomfortable and unhappy that people insisted I walk away from the job. I chose not to do that.’
As the oldest cast member, he joked that, despite hitting his big 8-0 milestone in October, he still ‘signed a contract’, meaning he ‘has in writing’ that he’ll live to be 88.
‘I will be playing Dumbledore for the next eight years! I absolutely have to keep at it.’
After his explanation surfaced, fans took to social media with their thoughts.
While @Ryan_Gasoline on X stated that ‘working with someone is not necessarily an endorsement of their views on every subject’, @Trick_Question7 said the ‘thoughtful’ response ‘still doesn’t dodge the main issue of Rowling profiting off [his] work’.
@rafaelasofx called Lithgow’s defence ‘vile’, while @MasterChiefCFO predicted the show will be a ‘disaster’.
Lithgow isn’t the first Harry Potter newbie to respond to criticism.
Last autumn, Keira Knightley said she ‘wasn’t aware’ of the fact that longtime Potterheads are now boycotting the franchise altogether in solidarity with the trans community, having been announced as the voice of Professor Umbridge in Audible’s seven-part audiobook adaptation.
There are 200 actors taking part in all, with other cast members including Hugh Laurie as the voice of Dumbledore, while Matthew Macfadyen will play Lord Voldemort.
‘I was not aware of that, no,’ Knightley said in an interview with Decider.
She continued: ‘I’m very sorry.
‘I think we’re all living in a period of time right now where we’re all going to have to figure out how to live together, aren’t we?
‘And we’ve all got very different opinions. I hope that we can all find respect.’
Meanwhile, original stars Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), Emma Watson (Hermione Granger), and Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) have all condemned Rowling’s comments.
This has even led to her hitting back at them, branding Watson specifically ‘ignorant’ and stating that she won’t ‘forgive’ the child actors for criticising her.
Still, the TV reboot is full steam ahead, with young performers Dominic McLaughlin to play the lead of Harry, Alastair Stout to play Ron, and Arabella Stanton to play Hermione. They were selected out of more than 32,000 audition tapes from across the UK and Ireland.
All have received the blessing of their predecessors, whose fame levels went stratospheric when Harry Potter became a hit, grossing $7.7billion (£5.6bn) worldwide on the whole.
And after their names were announced as the new generation of Hogwarts pupils, Rowling wrote on X: ‘All three are wonderful. I couldn’t be happier.’
Will you be watching the Harry Potter TV series?
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Yes
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No, I'm boycotting
A major role that has not yet been filled is that of Voldemort. Although Oscar nominee Ralph Fiennes seemingly confirmed that Cillian Murphy would don the terrifying makeup and cloak for television, letting it slip that he believes him to be his successor.
Again, fans of the Peaky Blinders lead expressed disappointment, especially after Murphy ruled himself out of the race once before.
It remains to be seen whether he had a change of heart.
A final release date for the Harry Potter TV series is yet to be confirmed, but the first season will consist of eight episodes and is due to land on HBO in the United States in early or mid-2027.
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