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."
