Old School. Biblically Independent.
By Mike Redmond | News | March 23, 2026
When John Lithgow agreed to star in HBO’s Harry Potter series, it sparked an immediate backlash thanks to J.K. Rowling’s virulent turn as an anti-trans crusader. Lithgow does not share those views, but he also sees nothing wrong in playing Dumbledore in a series that will line Rowling’s pockets. In fact, when asked if the controversy would make him reconsider the role, he told the Times of London, “oh, heavens no.”
Turns out, that’s not entirely true.
In a new interview with The New York Times, Lithgow revealed that he actually started to consider bailing on the HBO series as the controversy showed no signs of dying down. In particular, Lithgow’s Jimpa co-star, Aud Mason-Hyde, called his decision to take the Dumbledore role “hurtful.” That gave Lithgow pause, but if you saw the headline, clearly not enough of it.
Stung, Lithgow considered quitting the series but decided not to, and accepts without rancor that in “every interview I will ever do for the rest of my life this will come up.”Whether actors inherit the moral onus of authors is now a vexed question. Sophie Hyde, the “Jimpa” director as well as Mason-Hyde’s mother, told me that despite her feelings about Rowling, she appreciates that Lithgow “is an adult” and has a right to make an artistic choice.
“John’s work comes from a place of deep empathy and humanity, and that bigger political conversation is not one he’s engaging in.” As for the blowback, she added: “Sometimes you have to think about who you’re working with and for, not who you’re working against.”
Instead of heeding those concerns, Lithgow has doubled down on his rationalization. He touted his anti-Trump views to the Times as well as the Potter books, which he sees as “clearly on the side of the angels, against intolerance and bigotry.” And you know what? Sure, I’ll buy that. But when the money from those books gets dumped into the coffers of anti-trans groups, well, then we have a problem. That’s where the rubber meets the road.
Lithgow isn’t hurting for money or bereft of acting roles. Unlike the series’ lesser known actors — some of whom are literally children — his career would be perfectly fine should he walk away. And if he’s worried about upsetting HBO, I mean, how long is that going to be around once it passes through the David Ellison wood chipper? Let’s be real.
