Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has become an increasingly divisive figure in recent years, with her views on the transgender community proving particularly problematic for many of her (now former) fans.
While some agree with the concerns she's expressed about trans people identifying as female, others have been quick to dismiss the writer as transphobic.
Essentially, Rowling feels she's fighting for the rights of biological women, highlighting the dangers of allowing someone who identifies as female to be allowed in a domestic abuse shelter or sex-segregated prison. The writer has also queried whether women are at risk of physical or sexual assault in locker rooms by some trans women.
However, by tarnishing every trans person with the same brush, Rowling's social media activity has made her hugely controversial. Several members of the original Harry Potter cast have distanced themselves from her, and much has been said about HBO's upcoming TV series and whether its actors were right to join the cast.
Talking at the International Film Festival Rotterdam (via SFFGazette.com), the Wizarding World's new Professor Albus Dumbledore, John Lithgow, chose his words carefully but distanced the project from the author.
"I take the subject and the issue extremely seriously. J.K. Rowling has created this amazing canon for young people, young kids’ literature that has jumped into the consciousness of society," the Dexter alum shared. "Young and old people love Harry Potter and the Harry Potter stories. It’s so much about acceptance. It’s about good versus evil. It’s about kindness versus cruelty. It’s deeply felt."
"I find it ironic and somewhat inexplicable that Rowling has expressed such views," Lithgow continued. "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."
"Of course, it upsets me when people are vehemently opposed to my having anything to do with this. But if you read through the Harry Potter canon, you see absolutely no trace of transphobic sensibility. She has written this great meditation on kindness and empathy and acceptance, which is why it’s so strange to me."
"Dumbledore is a beautiful role. There’s so much more to it than I even realised, mainly because of these people who are creating the series. So it was a hard decision on the basis of that [controversy], and it made me very uncomfortable and unhappy that people were actively insisting that I walk away from this job. But I chose not to do that," the actor concluded.
It's hard to find fault with Lithgow's comments. However, it has been widely reported that Rowling has input on the show's scripts. She's also serving as an executive producer, though that credit's significance can vary with projects like this in terms of active involvement.
Dominic McLaughlin has been cast in the role of Harry Potter, with Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger, and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley.
Harry Potter is written and executive-produced by Francesca Gardiner. Mark Mylod will executive produce and direct multiple episodes of the series for HBO in association with Brontë Film and TV and Warner Bros. Television. The series is executive produced by J.K. Rowling, Neil Blair, and Ruth Kenley-Letts of Brontë Film and TV, and David Heyman of Heyday Films.
HBO's Harry Potter TV series premieres in early 2027.