John Lithgow Addresses J.K. Rowling Controversy Amid Harry Potter Reboot
Although J.K. Rowling faces backlash for her views on the transgender community, John Lithgow admitted he was genuinely surprised by the criticism following his announcement of participating in the new Harry Potter TV series.
In an interview with The Times of London on Sunday, April 27, Lithgow, 79, remarked that he was particularly taken aback when “a very good friend who is the mother of a trans child” sent him an open letter urging him to withdraw from the project.
“That was the canary in the coal mine,” Lithgow shared. “I wondered why this was even a consideration. I’m curious about how J.K. Rowling perceives this situation; perhaps I’ll get to speak with her one day.”
Even though Rowling’s contentious stance did not prevent him from accepting the role of Dumbledore in the upcoming Harry Potter series, Lithgow acknowledged it was a significant decision, especially given his age.
“This is probably the last significant role I’ll take,” he noted. “It’s an eight-year commitment, and I’ve been contemplating my mortality, recognizing this is a fitting role to wind down my career.”
Rowling faced renewed criticism after she celebrated the U.K. Supreme Court’s ruling stating that “womanhood” is defined by biological sex. She shared a photo on X earlier this month, featuring herself with a drink and cigar captioned, “I love it when a plan comes together.”
Refusing to back down amid the criticism, she tweeted, “‘Trans women’ are male,” on Sunday, April 27. “If they weren’t male, they wouldn’t be ‘trans’. It is rational to state that a man is a man.”
Rowling initially faced backlash in 2020 after publicly supporting British researcher Maya Forstater, who lost her job for making negative comments about trans individuals.
“‘People who menstruate.’ There used to be a term for those individuals. Can someone help me out? Wumben? Wimund? Woomud?” she tweeted in a series of tweets. “If sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased. I care about and love trans people, but denying the concept of sex hinders meaningful discussions about their lives. Speaking the truth isn’t hate.”
Taking a stand. J.K. Rowling’s controversial remarks on transgender issues have left fans and cast members of Harry Potter conflicted. The author faced backlash in June 2020 after sharing several posts on Twitter that seemingly criticized the trans community. “If sex isn’t real, there’s no same-sex attraction. If sex isn’t real, the […]
In the wake of her anti-trans comments, Daniel Radcliffe and other stars from the Harry Potter film series expressed their opposition to Rowling’s views.
“While Jo undeniably shaped my life, I must speak out as someone who has supported The Trevor Project for the past decade and as a human being. Transgender women are women,” Radcliffe declared in an essay published by The Trevor Project in June 2020. “Any statement to the contrary undermines the identity and dignity of transgender people, countering the guidance provided by leading health associations with more expertise than either Jo or I.”
In April 2023, HBO announced plans for a TV reboot of Harry Potter, with Rowling involved as an executive producer despite her controversial remarks.
“Max’s commitment to maintaining the integrity of my books is essential to me, and I look forward to being part of this new adaptation that will allow for a depth and detail only achievable through a long-form television series,” she stated at the time.
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images UPDATE 2/25/25 at 3:37 p.m. ET — The Harry Potter TV series has officially secured its first cast member. John Lithgow has confirmed he will portray Professor Albus Dumbledore in the upcoming series. “I was completely taken by surprise by this role,” shared the 79-year-old actor.
After the show’s announcement, many fans pledged to boycott it, an initiative that Rowling humorously labeled “dreadful news.”
“Activists are attempting to organize yet another boycott of my work, this time targeting the Harry Potter TV show,” she wrote on X in April 2023. “As forewarned is forearmed, I’ve stocked up on a large supply of champagne.”
