New Dumbledore actor says he almost quit HBO's Harry Potter show over J.K. Rowling's controversial opinions

John Lithgow looking through a car window — (Image credit: Netflix)

John Lithgow, who is playing Albus Dumbledore in HBO's upcoming adaptation of Harry Potter, has admitted he was very close to quitting the project due to author J.K. Rowling's anti-trans stance. He decided to take the role, however, knowing that he would have to address the issue repeatedly over the course of the series.

Talking to The New York Times, Lithgow said he finally decided to accept that in "every interview I will ever do for the rest of my life this will come up," but he stressed that his involvement in the project doesn't mean his alignment with Rowling's views. In fact, according to the star, the story of Harry Potter is "clearly on the side of the angels, against intolerance and bigotry."

This is not the first time Lithgow has been confronted about Rowling's controversial opinions. During the International Film Festival of Rotterdam last month, the actor revealed that, when he was first announced as Dumbledore, a friend with a trans child sent him an article asking him to drop out of the project. “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," he said then (via The Guardian).

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"I take the subject extremely seriously," Lithgow continued. "J.K. Rowling has created this amazing canon for young people, young kids’ literature that has jumped into the consciousness of society. Young and old people love Harry Potter and the Harry Potter stories. It’s so much about acceptance. It’s about good versus evil. It’s about kindness versus cruelty. It’s deeply felt."

He continued saying that he finds "inexplicable" and "ironic" that Rowling expresses such views, and claims that she is not involved in the production at all. "It upsets me when people are vehemently opposed to me having anything to do with this. But in Potter canon you see no trace of transphobic sensitivity. She has written this meditation of kindness and acceptance. And Dumbledore is a beautiful role," he explained.

The upcoming HBO Harry Potter series, on which J.K. Rowling is an executive producer, has been the subject of criticism and debate due to the author’s public stance on gender identity, which continues to challenge the inclusivity at the heart of the Harry Potter community. It was a similar situation with the Hogwarts Legacy launch, and you can read more about the Hogwarts Legacy controversy in our explainer.

Mireia is a UK-based culture journalist and critic. She previously worked as Deputy Movies Editor at Digital Spy, and her work as a freelance writer has appeared in WeLoveCinema and Spanish magazines Fotogramas, Esquire, and Elle. She is also a published author, having written a book about Studio Ghibli's 'Kiki's Delivery Service' in 2023. Talking about anime and musicals is the best way to grab her attention.