John Lithgow responds To ‘Harry Potter’ fans “appalled” with his casting as Dumbledore

John Lithgow has responded to fans who are “appalled” that he’s been cast as Albus Dumbledore in HBO‘s upcoming Harry Potter TV series.

• READ MORE: Every actor confirmed for HBO’s Harry Potter TV series

Lithgow confirmed his casting in HBO’s TV series reboot of J.K. Rowling’s young wizard story in February, saying that it was a “hard decision” to accept the role because “it’s going to define me for the last chapter of my life”.

Fans initially reacted quite negatively to the news, expressing concerns with his age and US nationality. The character was previously portrayed on-screen by Richard Harris, Michael Gambon and Jude Law. Now, Lithgow has responded.

“I will be following the great Michael Gambon. I’m not an Englishman, although I’ve played one on TV,” he said on BBC’s The One Show. “I remind everyone that I did play Winston Churchill on The Crown and did just fine.”

Lithgow added, “But yes, I mean, it’s an enormous thrill. But I know there were plenty of people appalled that an American should be hired to play the ultimate English wizard. But, I will do my best.”

Other cast members announced so far include Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid, Luke Thallon as Professor Quirinus Quirrell, the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, and Paul Whitehouse as caretaker Argus Filch.

The show has been mired in controversy due to J.K. Rowling receiving significant backlash for her anti-trans comments and support of the UK Supreme Court ruling earlier this week that the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex.

Though Judge Lord Hodge stressed the ruling was not a “triumph of one or more groups in our society at the expense of another”, the decision will undoubtedly impact transgender communities across the country.

This stance has seen her at odds with the three stars of the Harry Potter films, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint, all of whom have publicly disagreed with her views. It has also made the franchise controversial in the eyes of many.

Frost, who has been cast as Hagrid in the series, turned off the comments on his post celebrating his involvement due to criticism regarding his choice to work on the Rowling-backed project.

Elsewhere, David Tennant, who appeared as Barty Crouch Jr. in 2005’s Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire, recently made a subtle dig at Rowling when asked whether he might be joining the show.

Recently, Heartstopper star Sebastian Croft responded to backlash over his involvement with the Harry Potter game Hogwarts Legacy.

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