John Lithgow, 79, Takes on Iconic ‘Harry Potter’ Role

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It’s official — John Lithgow will be picking up a wand and heading to Hogwarts. The Conclave actor, 79, has confirmed that he will be playing Headmaster Albus Dumbledore in the HBO’s Harry Potter television series, which will reboot the iconic franchise.

The Dexter star revealed the news in an interview with ScreenRant after the interviewer asked if any of the books in his home were the Harry Potter novels. Lithgow replied, “Not yet,” but when the interviewer asked if playing Dumbledore were in his future, Lithgow said, “That’s right.” The Terms of Endearment actor said that the offer to play Dumbledore “came as a total surprise,” and that it was “not an easy decision, because it’s going to define me for the last chapter of my life, I’m afraid.”

Committing to seven seasons of the show was a “hard decision,” because he’d be “about 87 years old at the wrap party.” But apparently, the opportunity was too good to pass up, because he added, “I’ve said yes.” All in all, the Tony winner and Oscar nominee said, “I’m very excited. Some wonderful people are turning their attention back to Harry Potter.”

Lithgow will be the fourth actor to portray the enigmatic wizard. Richard Harris played the role in the first two Harry Potter films, but he passed away after filming Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. He was then replaced by Michael Gambon. In the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them films, Jude Law portrayed a younger version of the character.

When the clip was posted to YouTube, several fans commented their approval of the casting choice. “how exciting!!! he’s such a legend — he has the warmth and whimsy for dumbledore, I think this is going to be a great fit,” wrote one approving viewer. Another added, “Lithgow will make a great Dumbledore, I’m sure of it. As to the fact that he isn’t British, well, surprise, he’s an actor. Actors are supposed to play who they are not and Lithgow is one of those.”

One viewer, however, expressed concern that Lithgow was too old to take on the role. “87? So we are under the impression that each season of this massive show will be out once a year starting next year? I don’t think so. Guaranteed he will be 90 when this is all said and done and he has way more to do in the later seasons. I’m hoping for the best but they really should’ve casted someone around 60.”

In addition to concerns about his age and nationality, some users on X (formerly Twitter) were upset at Lithgow’s choice to work with author J.K. Rowling. Rowling has come under fire for her controversial comments about transgender people, and many have labeled her transphobic. One such user referenced Lithgow’s performance as Roberta in The World According to Garp, writing, “John Lithgow making a name for himself playing a trans woman character only to take the JK Rowling check at the end of his career is so f***ing annoying.” Another said, “This is disappointing, @JohnLithgow should know better than to put his support behind J.K. Rowling.”