John Lithgow on JK Rowling

[QAOPspaceman]

basically admits he hasn’t bothered thinking about her position on gender identity. The Harry Potter books are about tolerance so her stance is ‘inexplicable’, yet he’s never met her and only ‘read about her views’.
Read her for yourself pal! Do your own fucking thinking!

www.theguardian.com/books/2026/feb/02/john-lithgow-says-he-finds-jk-rowlings-stance-on-trans-rights-ironic-and-inexplicable?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Exactly. If he finds her views so inexplicable, perhaps he should try to find out a bit more to help his understanding?

Where does he get "tolerance" as the main message of those books?

'Tolerance' was my one-word summary of what he said, tbf. 'Courage' would be a better one as regards the actual books, as a poster above said.
What Lithgow said was: "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 am a man who has taken a role in a film where I am going to be asked this question and give my opinion. I am going to go along with smearing JKR because I have read about her opinion, even though it seems wildly at odds with her writing themes. I think this is strange, but I can't be arsed to engage my brain further to explore why this might be the case. Instead I'm going to merely virtue signal my opposition whilst getting a nice pay day and critical acclaim off the back of her work."

Honest to god mate. This is really a shite take whatever side of the fence you look from.

“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.”

One could say his own cowardliness and weakness is inexplicable considering what the character he is playing is about.

He sneakily trying to pretend the production owes nothing to JK Rowling so no one should blame him for taking the part. He has also made himself look stupid and unable to read or think.

His own cowardly

Can we please just write off any man with an opinion that other men should be allowed to:
A. Appropriate women’s sex through the medium of harmful gender stereotypes
B. Thinks men should have unfettered access to women’s spaces.

over privileged prick

How does he think it's 'kindness' to force female nurses to strip in front of men as a condition of employment or female children to strip in front of males who want into the girls changing room. Or is it only men who matter? I assume that must be it.

What an absolute bellend he is. I feel offended he's playing such a decent and well written character who would never do that to girls.

JK Rowling's observation of human nature is second to none. I note that the stairway to the girls dormitory in Gryffindor tower turns into a slide if a boy tries to go up. If only we could adopt this approach to single sex spaces. She was ahead of her time in so many ways in the HP books.

He should be playing Fudge and not Dumbledore.

Like every person I have ever met who loathes her and her views, he's only read 'about' them? Try reading them, mate. You will find a coherent, warm, sane, highly intelligent, reasonable and brave mind at work.

I am so bloody sick of this. DS lives abroad and we do the Guardian quiz at weekends on Zoom to keep the family connected. DS's partner answered a question in it which happened to be about Harry Potter and apologised for knowing the answer. Like you should feel ashamed of ever having read her. I started to say, HP is a modern classic, no shame in...and DS cut me off. I couldn't be arsed to cause a family row, long distance. But I am getting really tired of this persistent loathing of such a wonderful, powerful, brave woman

I really hope it doesn't

He spoke a little differently to Hadley Freeman when he was playing Roald Dahl and I think it's important to note that he was speaking at the launch of a film directed by a woman with a "trans and non binary" child (guess what sex the child is) who is also in the film. I think we think too much of actors' opinions (I've been very guilty of this) because, after all, they pretend for a living.

https://www.removepaywall.com/search?url=www.thetimes.com/culture/theatre-dance/article/john-lithgow-interview-dumbledore-jk-rowling-roald-dahl-mgdcdbx0s

https://variety.com/2026/film/global/john-lithgow-dumbledore-harry-potter-jk-rowlings-jimpa-1236648292/

Small point but I can't believe that "serious journalists" at The Guardian are still using the term "cisgender". It's 2026 people! What a joke.

Nope
Pervert

Any man pushing the idea that men should be have a right of access into a space where I am changing is classed into the pervert class

He's a great actor but honestly, what a total chump. I am so fed up of the hand wringing and grandstanding from actors who are queuing up to be a part of JKR's creation because of the money / fame / career opportunities, but insist on smearing her along the way

Lithgow is mystified by the 'kindness' and acceptance in the books. It's almost like JKR isn't actually 'transphobic' AT ALL

What a plum 🙄

Brilliant!
I think he is deeply dishonest if these are his real views on JKR. He should quit and let someone else take the part. On the other hand, if these are not his true feelings, he is doubly dishonest.
It's amazing what you can tell your head isn't it.

tbh i try not to read actors' (and other famous people) opinions because so often it ends in disappoinment.

Was badly burned by Marion Zimmer Bradley, so i don't take the risk.

Does the Graun still have a 'Style Guide', of which IIRC they were very proud? Hence saying 'actor' instead of 'actress', etc. Cisgender should really be in the dumpster now.

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.

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.

This is so true.

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

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

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 )

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 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….