One of the stars of the upcoming Harry Potter TV series has condemned J.K. Rowling's transphobic rhetoric, joining the ranks of some of the biggest stars from the original franchise.
The new HBO series, which will adapt Rowling’s popular book series with a whole new set of actors playing all of the well-known characters, has sparked controversy as Rowling has continued to be vocal about her anti-trans views.
Actor John Lithgow, who is set to play Dumbledore, told the New York Times that he considered quitting the series because of Rowling, but decided to stick it out even though he knows that "every interview I will ever do for the rest of my life this will come up."
Rowling started posting on social media that trans women are "men in dresses" and other anti-trans views in 2018. Since then, she has published an anti-trans essay in response to the backlash from Harry Potter stars who spoke out against her views, has accused cisgender women athletes of being transgender, insisted that trans kids don’t exist, helped fund the UK’s Supreme Court decision that limited the definition of women to "biological sex" under Britain's Equality Act, and celebrated Donald Trump’s win.
Lithgow said he doesn’t agree with Rowling’s transphobic views and has never met the author. Like many fans have pointed out over the years, the Conclave actor believes the Harry Potter story is antithetical to transphobia because it’s "clearly on the side of the angels, against intolerance and bigotry."
This is a position he also took earlier this year when he said that Harry Potter is about "good versus evil, kindness versus cruelty" and that he found Rowling’s "views ironic and inexplicable." However, he's also said that people insisting he should walk away from the role as the iconic headmaster made him "uncomfortable" and “unhappy."
The actor assumed his support of the trans community was obvious after he starred in movies that explore gender and queerness like According to Garp (1982), Love is Strange (2014), and Jimpa (2025).
Lithgow’s trans costar in Jimpa — a film where he plays the grandfather of a trans grandkid — told Out earlier this year that while Lithgow was "such a beautiful human to make work with,” they were hurt when he was cast in the Harry Potter TV series.
Trans star Aud Mason-Hyde said that Lithgow’s casting was "disconcerting," and that "there’s an element of this that feels vaguely hurtful."
Lithgow is not the only star of the upcoming series to stick with their role while speaking out against Rowling’s views on trans rights. Nick Frost, who will play Hagrid, said that his views "don’t align in any way, shape, or form" with Rowling’s, and Severus Snape actor Paapa Essiedu joined 400 TV and film professionals in signing an open letter expressing their solidarity with the trans community in the wake of Rowling financially backing the UK Supreme Court’s ruling that defined women based on biological sex, excluding trans women.
Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, David Tennant, and other stars from the original movie franchise have also spoken publicly about their support of trans rights and disagreement with Rowling’s controversial anti-trans rhetoric.
