The actor decided to stay, previously calling the rest of the production &34;remarkable.&34; John Lithgow considered quitting Harry Potter series over J.K. Rowling's antitrans views The actor decided to stay, previously calling the rest of the production &34;remarkable.&34; By Daysia Tolentino :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/DaysiaTolentinoauthorphotob1c9bf2343cf4cf7b77759eeb9f69e8d.jpg) Daysia Tolentino Daysia Tolentino is a writer at . She has written for since 2025. Her work has appeared in NBC News, Vulture, GQ, and InStyle. EW's editorial guidelines March 20, 2026 12:33 p.m.

The actor decided to stay, previously calling the rest of the production "remarkable."

John Lithgow considered quitting* Harry Potter* series over J.K. Rowling's anti-trans views

The actor decided to stay, previously calling the rest of the production "remarkable."

By Daysia Tolentino

Daysia Tolentino

Daysia Tolentino is a writer at *. *She has written for * *since 2025. Her work has appeared in NBC News, Vulture, GQ, and InStyle.

EW's editorial guidelines

March 20, 2026 12:33 p.m. ET

John Lithgow. Credit:

Michael Loccisano/Getty

John Lithgow, who will play Dumbledore on HBO's upcoming *Harry Potter** *series, shared that he considered leaving the show because of author and executive producer J.K. Rowling's anti-trans views.

Lithgow received backlash for taking the job, especially after his recent role in *Jimpa,* a queer family drama in which he plays the grandfather of trans child. Critics have called on him to quit the new *Harry Potter* series due to Rowling's past advocacy against transgender rights. Even his *Jimpa* costar Aud Mason-Hyde, who plays his nonbinary grandchild Frances, called his casting on the show "disconcerting."

Now, the *Conclave* star has told the *New York Times* that the backlash nearly made him abandon the series. He ultimately decided to stay, saying he accepted that "every interview I will ever do for the rest of my life this will come up."

Aud Mason-Hyde and John Lithgow in 'Jimpa'.

*Jimpa* director Sophie Hyde, who is also the mother of Mason-Hyde, told the outlet that Lithgow's work "comes from a place of deep empathy and humanity," but that the "bigger political conversation is not one he's engaging in."

Lithgow explained that he likes exploring divisive characters, pointing to his current role as Roald Dahl in the Broadway play *Giant, *which grapples with the author's antisemitic comments.

"I am fascinated by every variety of human experience and want to understand it," he said. "I'm in the empathy business."

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J.K. Rowling in 2018.

Walter McBride/WireImage

Lithgow previously spoke about his decision to stay in the role of Dumbledore during a discussion of *Jimpa* at the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) in February. He defended his reasoning for staying and called Rowling's beliefs "ironic and somewhat inexplicable" considering the overall message in the *Harry Potter* books.

"Of course, it upsets me when people are vehemently opposed to my having anything to do with this," Lithgow said. "But if you read through the *Harry Potter* canon, you see absolutely no trace of transphobic sensibility. She has written this great meditation on kindness and empathy and acceptance, which is why it's so strange to me."

The six-time Emmy said that the cast and crew of the upcoming series are "remarkable" and added that he was excited to work with them. Rowling is "not really involved with this production at all," Lithgow said.

The *Harry Potter* series is slated to premiere in early 2027.

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Published: March 21, 2026 at 09:38AM on Source: MANUEL MAG

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