John Lithgow on JK Rowling

i didn't put him in the same category.

But it makes him an utter twat of an idiot. Especially since he hasn't read the source material. And what is worse is the hypocricy. "oh i believe lies other people have said about her but i'm still taking the money, but pleas dear allies and TRAs don't turn on me i already said she's horrible"

I hope it blows right up in his face.

pathetic.

I don't want to be rude about Joyce Carol Oates, but there is a touch of "old woman yells at cloud" about her. She's one of those cultural figures, like George Takei or Lynda Carter, who seem to have settled down into spending their twilight years tweeting about Trump. Or maybe JKR, if Trump hasn't done anything outrageous in the past hour.

I suppose it's a hobby. And no doubt Joyce wants to make sure she doesn't get cancelled by woke librarians.

But come on Joyce, you're 87 and you've long since made your literary reputation. I suspect that in her case "I don't understand JKR's position" means "I understand her position perfectly well but I can't say so because I'm scared of my political tribe."

According to wik she used the "emotional labor" 👀 of others to earn that living too ...

Purity circles are funnnn 🍿🤣

"I don't even understand her position" and "we don't want to know the bloody details". So a woman who's made her living by writing can't even be bothered to spend twenty minutes to read the source material. I don't think we need bother taking her conclusions too seriously.

Whenever I hear her name I think of the comment Gore Vidal is said to have made:

"The Three Saddest Words in the English Language are Joyce Carol Oates."

Had to look her up 😁

Another educated idiot who is proud to say I am too lazy to educate myself on the cultural context but I will lable a woman angry.

The idea that all the expressed opinions are negitive is telling too

Alá
Bloooooody women should just shuuuuuut uuuuup

how many actors past age 60 are working, let alone at age 80?

Loads!

More men than women, because sexism means fewer parts for older women (and indeed for women in general). But very few actors retire.

Not that it's relevant. If he wants to remain uncontroversial so he can keep working at 80, he could just not say anything at all on the subject.

Add Joyce Carol Oates to the list of the wilfully ignorant ‘be kind’ crowd ready to throw JKR under the bus for no genuine reason. None of this sounds like her at all to me.

Maybe in this new series, JKR should require Dumbledore to have a relationship with one of the special women whom Lithgow seems to admire so much. It would be a bit of a plot departure. But it might help him understand his own bewilderment a bit better.

First EP's DO get money for lending their name to a movie, which helps promote it and hopefully make a profit. Second, John Lithgow is an 80 y/o actor, and how many actors past age 60 are working, let alone at age 80? Finally, people like to take a pisser when someone says something or when they say nothing at all. All he likely wants to do is just keep working, and again, he's not lasted this long to be completely open about his views. Besides the fact that The Guardian is banned anyway from TERF Island so it must be a slow news day since there's been not enough pearl clutching articles lately.

There are actually a lot of actors who have never said one single thing on this subject, or any other controversial political subject. Which tells me that it is entirely possible to do.

Lithgow may be a fool about this but I'd not put him in that category!

Anyway - I think it's fair enough if an elderly man doesn't care to spend his time reading about gender ideology, and actors don't have to share the political views of people they work with.

He should probably just say something like, he has no comment as he hasn't looked into what she said, if asked. Or better, just tell the journalists he won't answer questions about politics.

I think she has a lot more IP control than some authors have as her books were bestsellers on older style contract so she had stronger seller power when the international publisher rights and movie mogals came a knocking

Doesn't all this show how much tolerance JKR has, if she wanted to she'd make sure the actors were all GC, but she doesn't and has no intention to.
I agree with her on this too, other people are entitled to their opinions, its the finger pointing and virtue signalling that bothers me. I don't know what opinion Kiera Knightly has, but her dodge when the question was put to her was enough to gain my respect. There are plenty of actors out there who will slump to Lithgow's level so to deflect or change the subject is fairly daring.

It can do, but not always. It's largely irrelevant anyway. JKR has already indicated she has neither the power nor the inclination to remove any actors. Hard for the TRAs to comprehend, but she seems perfectly relaxed about people holding any legal views they like.

Nor necessarily. As @BackToLurk says,often just a vanity title. I've seen Mick Jagger credited as an exec producer of a film, for example, just cos they've used one of his songs on the soundtrack.

Doesnt it means you have a financial interest or fronted up some of the costs ?

If he was a man of principle he would not have taken the role when his friend a parent of a trans child asked him not to. He’s trying to have it every which way. And he hasn’t even bothered to educate himself on JK’s views. Which are not anti trans, if he’s suggesting, which he is, that she’s anti trans, and suggesting that he’s “nice” why not do what the friend parent requested. JK asked nothing of him, but he dished her. And did the same to his “friend”.

But he’s taking the money. He could have said, a) I don’t understand the issue so I’m not answering the question, which is the most honest he would have been or b) I’m an actor, not an activist, her books are wonderful for children…. C) can we talk about the acting role as that’s what I’m here for … instead he waded in two feet first … and dumped on a woman whose writing has given him an unreal pay check …

craven….

She can't remove him. More importantly, she's stated before (in relation to a different actor) that she wouldn't even if she could.

Exec producer is frequently just a vanity title.

If he was a man of principle he’d not abandon integrity for personal gain.

But he’s not, he’s a weasel.

(apologies to weasel’s )

Is she not involved with the series? I thought she was an executive producer. Interesting move from him given that she can presumably remove him

I've always 'liked' John Lithgow, the way you do with film and TV people. Such a lazy and cowardly attitude.

This is so true.

John Lithgow is on thin ice. I haven't watched The World According To Garp in many years - it's not a movie I'd recommend except to Robin Williams completists - but one of these days the 12 psychos on Bluesky will discover that in 1982 Lithgow played a transwoman, and the old duffer will not know what hit him. It was a sympathetic portrayal, but they're sure to find something to be mortally offended about.

To be fair anyone who tries to say JKR is 'problematic' or a 'bigot' is obviously stupid or extremely unpleasant.

It's really that simple.

No-one who has read what she's written or knows anything much about her life and work can think that genuinely. Her deeds AND words all point in one direction - one of the most humane, decent, brave and wonderful human beings in the world who truly stands up for those who are most vulnerable. The Lumos charity does wonderful work, she founded Beira's place. 2 seconds of googling and Lithgow could have found out about that. Or he could have bothered to read what she really wrote not what misogynists desperate to tear down a successful woman said she wrote.

The throwing of JKR under a bus is particularly pathetic when it's someone who is benefiting from her work. Agree with PP if Lithgow believed what he said he wouldn't act in shows using her work. He doesn't believe it though, he just can't be arsed to find out what her opinions really are because he's a misogynistic prick.