Harry Potter series star John Lithgow says JK Rowling’s trans views were ‘twisted and misrepresented'
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Harry Potter series star John Lithgow says JK Rowling’s trans views were ‘twisted and misrepresented'")
In the frame John Lithgow and JK Rowling Photograph: (X)
Veteran star John Lithgow is playing the role of Albus Dumbledore in the HBO's upcoming Harry Potter series. Recently, the actor talked about being part of the show that had largely faced the backlash due to author JK Rowling's involvement, who has been facing a lot of backlash due to her anti-trans views.
The Harry Potter series is one of the most anticipated projects of this year. While the world is excited to watch the whole new version of the Potter world, the series has also become a point of discussion because of author JK Rowling's anti-trans views. After saying Rowling's comments on transgender rights were “ironic and inexplicable,” the 80-year-old actor said that he feels “much of it (Rowling's comments) I think has been twisted and misrepresented.”
Apart from being credited as the author of the Potter books, she's also a major part of the project as an executive producer.
Dumbledore Actor John Lithgow says JK Rowling’s anti-trans views have been ‘twisted and misrepresented,’
After calling Rowling's comment on the trans community, inexplicable and saying the backlash on his decision to play the iconic character of Albus Dumbledore “upsets me”, the actor explained his decision to be part of the series and the author's comment.
Speaking at The New Yorker Radio Hour, the actor discussed his decision to be part of the series, “[T]here was everything attractive about the job, and job security into my late years. You don’t ignore those issues.”
Also read: ‘There are no trans kids’: Harry Potter author JK Rowling claims no child ‘born in wrong body’, sparks debate
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Lithgow further told, “The whole subject of Rowling’s imputed prejudice, it came up after everything was already underway. I’d already said yes […] I was urged to walk away, and I was not about to do
that.”
Speaking on Rowling's comment on trans views, the actor said that he does disagree, but feels that much of her comments were ‘’twisted and misrepresented.''
“The reasons to do it were much, much stronger than the reasons to protest against what Rowling has done and said,” he continued. “I do disagree with much of it, much of it I think has been twisted and misrepresented, and she has doubled down on it at her own cost.”
But the actor has not elaborated on his views of how Rowling's views had been misrepresented.
The Conclave actor Lithgow is playing Headmaster of Hogwarts, one of the most crucial roles of the Wizarding World. In the movies, Richard Harris and Michael Gambon played the role.
Also read: 'Bland remake’ or ‘faithful to the books’?' Harry Potter series trailer leaves fans deeply divided
Harry Potter series
Titled Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, the first teaser trailer of the show is out, and it features the entire cast of the show playing the iconic characters.
The teaser gave the viewers the first look at the new cast in the world of Hogwarts, introducing key characters: Harry (Dominic McLaughlin), Hermione Granger (Arabella Stanton), and Ron Weasley (Alastair Stout). The new clip hints that the series has explored the book deeply, showing several sequences from the book that were missing from the film.
The HBO series will consist of eight episodes and will be released on Christmas 2026. In India, the show will be available to stream on Jio Hotstar.
The show will release on Christmas 2026.
