John Lithgow has shared his thoughts on aging while working with the new cast of the Harry Potter TV reboot. At 80 years old, he is stepping into the role of Albus Dumbledore in HBO’s upcoming series. In a documentary titled Finding Harry: The Craft Behind the Magic, Lithgow discussed the challenges of playing the character as he ages.
“I knew that while I did the first season of Harry Potter, I would be turning 80 years old,” he said. “That meant that I would age to about 88 before it was all over.”
This realization, he admitted, was difficult to process. “This is an extremely difficult thing to contemplate,” he continued. “They’re gonna grow up in this. And I’m gonna grow older with them.”
Lithgow also expressed admiration for the young actors who have taken on key roles in the series. Arabella Stanton, Dominic McLaughlin, and Alastair Stout play Hermione, Harry, and Ron respectively. He described them as “an amazing ensemble” who “all adore each other.”
The series will follow one of J.K. Rowling’s seven books per season, with the first eight-episode season set to release later this year. It will cover the events of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
HBO recently released the first trailer for the show, which has already made history as the most-watched HBO trailer ever. Within 48 hours of its release, it received over 277 million organic views across platforms.
Despite its popularity, the series has faced criticism, particularly regarding J.K. Rowling’s views on gender. Lithgow has previously spoken out about being upset by the backlash he has received for joining the project. He clarified that he believes Rowling’s stance on transgender rights is “ironic and inexplicable.”
In a recent interview with The New Yorker, Lithgow shared his excitement about portraying Dumbledore. He called it “the great, big, large project of doing another version of Harry Potter” that is “basically retelling wonderful stories that Rowling created.”
“They are very stirring stories,” he said. “I think there are reasons why they’ve resonated with young people, and young people who have grown up and are still obsessed with Harry Potter.”
The role of Hogwarts’ headmaster, he added, is “a wonderful role.”
“Doing it in England, with half the crew who worked on The Crown, there was everything attractive about the job, and job security into my late years. You don’t ignore those issues,” Lithgow said.
He also mentioned that by the time the controversy around Rowling’s views emerged, he had already committed to the project. “I was urged to walk away,” he said. “And I was not about to do that.”
When asked by New Yorker editor David Remnick how he made that decision, Lithgow responded: “The reasons to do it were much, much stronger than the reasons to protest against what Rowling has done and said. I do disagree with much of it, much of it I think has been twisted and misrepresented, and she has doubled down on it at her own cost.”
Remnick then brought up the “ferocity” and “cruelty” of Rowling’s responses to criticism. Lithgow replied: “I’m surprised by it, too, and disappointed.”
