Actor John Lithgow told UK outlet “The Times” earlier this month that he was not expecting the backlash he got for joining the cast of the latest “Harry Potter” adaptation.
The 79-year-old actor, who was cast as the beloved character Dumbledore in the upcoming HBO series based on J.K. Rowling’s books, said that he was perplexed when pro-trans activists and other individuals angry at Rowling’s anti-trans viewpoints rebuked him for joining the series.
“I thought, why is this a factor at all? I wonder how JK Rowling has absorbed it. I suppose at a certain point I’ll meet her and I’m curious to talk to her,” Lithgow said, mentioning the deluge of outrage that the “Harry Potter” creator has stirred up with her public comments distinguishing trans women from biological women.
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Rowling, who has angered LGBTQ activists for years with her comments, recently celebrated the UK Supreme Court’s ruling that transgender women aren’t legally women with a post on X.
In the post, Rowling shared an image of herself drinking a cocktail and puffing a cigar while sitting at the beach. She captioned the image, writing, “I love it when a plan comes together. #SupremeCourt #WomensRights.”
During his conversation with the outlet, Lithgow pulled out a letter addressed to him that was recently published online. “An Open Letter to John Lithgow: Please Walk Away from Harry Potter,” the letter attempted to remind the actor that he’s working on a series created by someone who is “anti-trans” and has “attacked trans kids directly, saying ‘There are no trans kids.’”
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The Times also noted that the comment sections on Lithgow’s Instagram posts have been flooded with people urging him to step away from the project.
Additionally, the actor mentioned that before he was officially cast, he received a text from a “very good friend who is the mother of a trans child, and that was the canary in the coal mine.”
Lithgow told The Times he had not even considered the drama surrounding Rowling when preparing for his role. When asked if he expected backlash, he replied, “No, absolutely not.”
He continued, “Of course, it was a big decision because it’s probably the last major role I’ll play. It’s an 8-year commitment so I was just thinking about mortality and that this is a very good winding-down role.”
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He added that his only concern about the controversy over his role was getting fans to accept him as an American actor playing the iconic British character. When asked if the criticism had prompted him to reconsider taking the role, Lithgow declared, “Oh, heavens no.”
Despite Lithgow’s apparent lack of concern about the controversy surrounding Rowling, he has expressed liberal viewpoints in the past. Most recently, Lithgow blasted President Donald Trump’s second term as a “pure disaster for the arts.”
Lithgow also starred in a 2019 play about former Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into allegations of Trump’s collusion with Russia, called, “The Investigation: A search for truth in ten acts.”
