Is John Lithgow Aware of J.K. Rowling’s Controversies? Fans Debate After His Harry Potter Series Casting
- The Crown actor John Lithgow confirms accepting the role of Dumbledore in Harry Potter series.
- The actor said he's scared but excited to portray the character
- Fans question if John Lithgow known the controversial statements by J.K. Rowling
John Lithgow is one of the most celebrated actors in the industry who has portrayed some of the iconic characters on-screen, including in 27 Wagons Full of Cotton, A Memory of Two Mondays, M. Butterfly, Interstellar, Killers of the Flower Moon, Conclave, and more. Lithgow is widely known for his performance as Arthur Mitchell in Dexter and Winston Churchill in Netflix’s popular show The Crown.
The veteran actor is now gearing up to portray a fan favorite and iconic character in an upcoming and highly anticipated Harry Potter series. However, this announcement has made the fans wonder if the 79-year-old actor is aware of the controversy surrounding the author.
John Lithgow accepts the role of Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter TV show
In a recent interview with ScreenRant, actor John Lithgow confirmed that he has accepted to play the iconic character of Albus Dumbledore in the upcoming Harry Potter TV series. It was earlier reported that the actor had been eyeing to play the character that has been played by Richard Harris and Michael Gambon in the film franchise. Jude Law played the younger version of the character in the Fantastic Beasts prequels.
The actor shared,
Well, it came as a total surprise to me. I just got a phone call at the Sundance Film Festival, and it was not an easy decision because it’s going to define me for the last chapter of my life. I’m afraid. But I’m very excited.
He added that some wonderful people are now turning their attention back to the Harry Potter franchise, which is why it has been such a hard decision for him. John Lithgow noted that he’ll be about 87 years old at the wrap party, but he has agreed to play the character. It should be noted that the publication mentioned that where the actor has agreed to play Dumbledore, the confirmation from the studios is still pending.
Reportedly the studios are planning to make a series of each book by author J.K. Rowling, which means that the series might run for seven seasons. Dumbledore appears in every installment of Harry Potter. In an interview with Collider, the actor explained that it was challenging for him to think and accept the role. He added it’s pretty scary, but it’s certainly not anything that he would even dream of saying no to.
I’m about to turn 80 next year. I’ll be 80; I’ll be 86 or 87 at the wrap party for this one. It’s a wonderful winding down role. That’s how I see it. I know that I’ll be working with, at the very top of the food chain, these are superb people. And I will be working with some of the best English-speaking actors in the world.
John Lithgow noted that he’s excited about the part and just revising Harry Potter in depth these days, as he is determined to do justice to the character. Dumbledore is one of the fan-favorite characters in the franchise. The actor also mentioned that he is aware that there could be controversy when an American actor is hired to play an Englishman, but he has previously played Roald Dahl and Winston Churchill.
Lithgow shared that he’d be spending time with a dialect coach to get his accent right and would do his best. He mentioned that when he portrayed Churchill on The Crown, every English actor who had more confidence in him than he did at the time welcomed him.
Fans wonder if John Lithgow is aware of J.K. Rowling’s controversies
As soon as the news of Lithgow confirming that he has said yes to playing Dumbledore in the upcoming Harry Potter series broke, fans on the internet were divided as they wondered if he was aware of the controversies surrounding the author. One of the users wrote,
Spending the last few years of your life in a TV show remake of the racist wizard franchise is kind of crazy.
Another user noted that every actor who joins the Harry Potter show is endorsing J.K. Rowling and her transphobia and racism. Fans who have admired the actor’s work over the years mentioned that even though they like his work, they won’t be sitting to watch him play a character in a show that is connected to the author.
The author’s remarks on the trans community have garnered a lot of backlash. Some mentioned how could Lithgow be a part of Conclave and then go on to work with J.K. Rowling. A user shared,
I do not expect 79-year-old John Lithgow to be privy to online discourse or maybe even know how or why J.K. Rowling has fallen off in recent years.
They also added that one would think that someone in the actor’s circle would have advised him to stay away during that hard process of making a decision.
However, some fans were excited about Lithgow’s casting and shared that he seems like the perfect actor to play Dumbledore. Some raised concerns about an American actor hired for an English character, to which others shared that the actor can hide behind the character and is bloody good at it. Some users mentioned that ‘As bad as J.K. Rowling’s actions are, you do have to separate art from the artist.’
Users also shared that there is a high chance that the actor sees this role as a job and does not care about the author’s opinions. It should be noted that despite receiving backlash and being accused of being anti-trans, Rowling has remained popular, and the sales of her works have only increased.
There has been no date set for the series.
