- Lithgow has joined the HBO TV remake as Dumbledore
- There’s controversy due to JK Rowling’s anti-trans views
- Several cast members have been called out by fans for participating
John Lithgow has responded to backlash over his casting in the forthcoming Harry Potter HBO TV series.
The actor has signed on to play Dumbledore in the forthcoming TV series. However, it was an immediate source of controversy given JK Rowling’s outspoken views on trans people. In the opinion of some fans, actors who are involved in the project are complicit in her beliefs.
Other actors set to appear include Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, Nick Frost as Hagrid and Janet McTeer as Professor McGonagall.
“Why is this a factor at all?”
In a new interview with The Times to promote his new film Giant, Lithgow wondered why it was even a point of discussion.
“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,” he said.
Lithgow also mentioned that he received an open letter encouraging him to walk away from the franchise, sent to him by a “very good friend” who has a trans daughter.
Later, he revealed that he didn’t expect to have such a level of criticism. “Of course, it was a big decision because it’s probably the last major role I’ll play. It’s an eight-year commitment so I was just thinking about mortality and that this is a very good winding-down role.”
Furthermore, he also questioned why he was facing backlash for Harry Potter but not playing Roald Dahl – a known anti-Semite – in Giant. Lithgow went on to acknowledge that the author was “complicated man damaged by terrible tragedies”.
“No one complained when I agreed to play Dahl, but I’ve received so many messages about JK Rowling. Isn’t that odd?” he said.
Have any other actors faced similar backlash?
Frost had to turn off the comments after he announced he was playing Hagrid. This was in response to repeated questioning over why he would associate with Rowling due to her beliefs.
HBO released a new statement last year on the controversy, saying that the author has the right to share her views.
The network’s chairman and CEO Casey Bloys said that Rowling has been closely involved with the casting process but her stance on trans rights haven’t impacted decision making. She was “very, very involved in the process selecting the writer and the director,” but her views “haven’t affected the casting or hiring of writers or productions staff.”
Several members of the films’ cast have criticised Rowling’s increasingly vitriolic statements around trans people. These include Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint.
Others, including Raplh Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter and Evanna Lynch, have defended her.
