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Actor John Lithgow reportedly considered walking away from his role in the upcoming HBO series based on J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” books over backlash from the author’s views on transgender issues.
Rowling has irked transgender activists for years with her outspoken opposition to transgender ideology and her defense of women-only spaces. The upcoming HBO series based on her famed books is expected to debut this year, and Lithgow made it clear he “has never met Rowling, nor does he agree with her views on transgender issues,” according to The New York Times.
Lithgow, who is set to play Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore in the highly anticipated series, said the story is “clearly on the side of the angels, against intolerance and bigotry.”
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Actor John Lithgow reportedly considered walking away from his role in the upcoming HBO series based on J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” books. (Christopher Polk/Variety via Getty Images)
The Times then detailed Lithgow’s “interest in queer culture,” and noted that non-binary actor Aud Mason-Hyde, his co-star in a separate project, called his decision to join the Potter show “disconcerting” and “vaguely hurtful.”
Because of this, according to the Times, Lithgow “considered quitting the series but decided not to.” He ultimately opted to move forward, understanding the ramifications.
“Every interview I will ever do for the rest of my life this will come up,” Lithgow told the Times.
Fox News Digital reached out to Warner Bros., the parent company of HBO, for comment but did not immediately hear back.
Lithgow previously said in an interview in April that he was shocked about the backlash he received for joining the series, saying he did not consider Rowling’s political views before accepting the role.
ACTOR JOHN LITHGOW DEFENDS JOINING ‘HARRY POTTER’ SERIES DESPITE JK ROWLING’S TRANS BACKLASH
“Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling has irked activists for years with her outspoken opposition to transgender ideology and her defense of women-only spaces. (SOPA Images / Getty)
“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,” Lithgow said.
He also previously insisted that he took the criticism “extremely seriously” and described Rowling’s views as “ironic” given the themes of her fantasy series.
“Young and old people love ‘Harry Potter’ and the ‘Harry Potter’ stories,” Lithgow said, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s so much about acceptance. It’s about good versus evil. It’s about kindness versus cruelty. It’s deeply felt.”
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John Lithgow is set to play Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore. (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
He continued, “I find it ironic and somewhat inexplicable that Rowling has expressed such views. I’ve read about them, and I’ve never met her. She’s not really involved in this production at all. The people who are re-adapting ‘Harry Potter’ and turning it into an eight-year-long TV series are remarkable … These are people I really want to work with.”
Lithgow added that there was “no trace of transphobic sensitivity” in the story and said that he was upset to learn that some critics opposed his involvement in the project.
Lithgow has expressed liberal views in the past and starred in a 2019 play about former Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into allegations of Trump’s collusion with Russia, called, “The Investigation: A search for truth in ten acts.”
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Fox News Digital’s Lindsay Kornick contributed to this report.
