John Lithgow has reflected on his decision to accept a pivotal role in the new Harry Potter TV series amid the ongoing controversy surrounding the franchise and its creator, JK Rowling. Last year, the Conclave actor confirmed he’d be playing Hogwarts professor Albus Dumbledore in the new TV series, which will dedicate one season to each of Rowling’s novels, with the likes of Janet McTeer, Paapa Essiedu and Nick Frost also playing key characters at the wizarding school. However, the project has already faced backlash due to the involvement of Rowling, who has become a divisive figure in the last few years due to her frequent and ongoing commentary about transgender people. This has included repeatedly and deliberately misgendering trans public figures, and donating tens of thousands of pounds to the campaign group which raised the initial legal challenge that led to the UK Supreme Court’s 2025 ruling that the legal definition of a woman should include only those who were assigned female at birth. On Sunday, John made an appearance at the International Film …