John Lithgow, 80, has addressed the backlash to his casting as Albus Dumbledore in HBO's upcoming Harry Potter television adaptation, citing the importance of the franchise's themes of kindness and acceptance. The American actor acknowledged that the decision to join the project was 'hard' given author J.K. Rowling's controversial views on transgender issues, but he insisted that the 'Potter' canon contains 'no trace of transphobic sensitivity'.
Lithgow told Variety that he takes Rowling's anti-trans comments 'extremely seriously' but noted that she is 'not really involved in this production at all' despite serving as an executive producer. He described the role as 'beautiful' and praised Rowling for creating 'this amazing canon for young people' that focuses on 'good versus evil, kindness versus cruelty'.
The six-time Emmy winner acknowledged the criticism, saying: 'It upsets me when people are opposed to me having anything to do with this. But I am perfectly ready for collisions of opinion.' He added that he 'chose not to' walk away from the job despite feeling 'uncomfortable and unhappy' about the pressure to do so.
Social media reaction has been mixed, with some fans supporting Lithgow's stance while others criticised him for enabling Rowling's profit. The reboot, due for release next year, also stars Janet McTeer, Paapa Essiedu, and Nick Frost, with young actors Dominic McLaughlin, Alastair Stout, and Arabella Stanton cast as the new Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
