HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter TV series has garnered a lot of attention since it was announced a few years ago, and not all of that has been for positive reasons. J.K. Rowling – the author of the best-selling book series on which the Potter show is based – has garnered backlash for her comments regarding transgender individuals. Following this, a number of disappointed fans have begun publicly questioning those who’ve joined the show. Now, the series' Dumbledore actor John Lithgow is sharing his take on the matter and discussing his commitment to playing his character.
John Lithgow appeared at the International Film Festival Rotterdam this weekend and promoted his new movie, queer drama Jimpa. As part of that Q&A ( via THR ) Lithgow was asked about his involvement in the Wizarding World show. Aside from discussing the “insane” eight-year contract he signed to play powerful wizard Albus Dumbledore, the 80-year-old actor also broached the topic of Rowling’s controversial viewpoints:
I take the subject and the issue extremely seriously. 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.
Since J.K. Rowling began sharing views on trans people, some fans have argued that they run counter to the themes present within the Harry Potter books. The principles Lithgow named are among the values that have been argued for by fans. Considering those ideas, the Oscar-nominated actor admitted to being surprised that Rowling would share these specific viewpoints. He also mentioned the writer's lack of involvement in the upcoming TV show.
I find it ironic and somewhat inexplicable that Rowling has expressed such views. I’ve read about them, and I’ve never met her. She’s not really involved in this production at all. The people who are re-adapting Harry Potter and turning it into an eight-year-long TV series are remarkable. … These are people I really want to work with. Of course, it upsets me when people are vehemently opposed to my having anything to do with this. But if you read through the Harry Potter canon, you see absolutely no trace of transphobic sensibility. She has written this great meditation on kindness and empathy and acceptance, which is why it’s so strange to me.
Lithgow’s comments suggest that Rowling may not be involved in the day-to-day work that happens on the series, which is currently filming in the UK. Despite that, Rowling has been in the mix, sharing thoughts on scripts and apparently helping with the casting process.
In 2025, Rowling also said she’d been open to casting people who held political and societal opinions that differed from her own. Reports of John Lithgow’s casting initially surfaced in February 2025 and, now, he seems grateful to be playing the beloved Dumbledore:
Dumbledore is a beautiful role. There’s so much more to it than I even realized, mainly because of these people who are creating the series. So it was a hard decision on the basis of that [controversy], and it made me very uncomfortable and unhappy that people were actively insisting that I walk away from this job. But I chose not to do that.
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The Shrek alum is far from the first actor associated with Harry Potter to address J.K. Rowling’s views. New Hagrid actor Nick Frost asserted that his own views did not align with Rowling’s and seemed to be against the notion of letting this ongoing conversation “blow over.” OG Hermione actress Emma Watson has also spoken about Rowling, admitting that while she doesn’t see eye-to-eye with the author on certain topics, she does still care for her. Though Watson also wished she and her former collaborator could’ve had a formal conversation about the situation. Rowling eventually responded and chastised Watson’s comments.
At this point, it would appear that the conversation swirling around J.K. Rowling isn’t slowing down. John Lithgow, for his part, seems quite cognizant of the situation while simultaneously focused on completing the job he was hired for, and does seem extremely passionate about. Fans will be able to see Lithgow’s Dumbledore when the Harry Potter series drops sometime in 2027.
