John Lithgow has described JK Rowling as a “deeply empathetic person” while addressing the controversy around her views on trans people. His comments came during a 4 June roundtable hosted by The Hollywood Reporter, where he spoke alongside other past Tony Award winners including Nathan Lane and Rose Byrne.
The discussion drew attention because Lithgow is also set to appear in HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter reboot as Albus Dumbledore. He said the issue matters “very seriously” to him, especially as debate around Rowling and the franchise continues to shape reactions to the series.
Lithgow links Rowling’s writing to empathy and acceptance
Lithgow said he sees “great value” in what Rowling created with the Harry Potter books and said he respects her for that work. He also argued that the series is built around “empathy and love compared with cruelty and hate,” describing Dumbledore as a “beautiful character.”
He added that Rowling “created a fantastic canon for young people” and compared the idea of entertaining younger audiences to the work of Roald Dahl. His remarks were tied to his current role in Giant, where he plays Roald Dahl in a performance that has placed him near the center of awards-season attention.
How the Dumbledore casting changed the conversation
Lithgow said he was offered the Dumbledore role shortly after the Sundance premiere of Jimpa, a film in which he plays the grandfather of a non-binary teenager. He described that project as a warm and positive story that supports “kindness and acceptance” on gender-related issues.
He then said that only months later did he fully understand “the depth of this issue in a lot of people’s minds.” That shift has helped explain why his Harry Potter casting has drawn scrutiny from trans people and allies, especially given Rowling’s public record.
Pushback from trans advocates
The casting announcement triggered criticism partly because Lithgow previously played a trans woman in the 1982 film The World According to Garp. Aud Mason-Hyde, the non-binary actor who played Lithgow’s grandchild in Jimpa, told Out in February that accepting the role felt “hurtful” and “disconcerting.”
Sophie Hyde, the film’s director and Mason-Hyde’s mother, said she contacted Lithgow as soon as she heard about the Harry Potter role. She also said that Rowling’s support for For Women Scotland, which helped fund a legal case over the definition of a woman and sex under the Equality Act, has caused “a great deal of harm.”
Lithgow said he has not met Rowling, though he expects to do so at some point. He said she is not directly involved in production based on what he has experienced, and repeated that he disagrees with some of the things she appears to believe.
Even with that disagreement, Lithgow maintained that Rowling must have shown empathy to build a series that resonates so strongly with readers. His comments place him in a difficult public position as he prepares to step into one of the most closely watched roles in the new Harry Potter series.
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