From the time it was announced, HBO’s Harry Potter television series has been something of a mixed experience for fans. While there is a lot of excitement for the upcoming television adaption from showrunner Francesca Gardiner and the series is bringing a brand new cast in this new, small screen adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s wildly popular book series that achieved further iconic status thanks to a hugely successful movie franchise, there’s been plenty of backlash as well with Rowling continuing to be a controversial figure thanks to her views and comments about the transgender community. That backlash has spilled over onto the television series’ cast, but now one of the stars is opening up, revealing that they almost quit the series because of the controversy — and reveals why the opted to stay.
Speaking with The New York Times, John Lithgow — who is playing Dumbledore in the upcoming television adaptation — explains that he thought about quitting the HBO series because of Rowling’s views. However, the actor explained that he ultimately chose to stay because he sees the story as being counter to its author’s views. In the new profile, Lithgow says that the story of Harry Potter is “clearly on the side of the angels, against intolerance and bigotry,” but he also acknowledges that the subjects one that “every interview I will ever do for the rest of my life this will come up.”
Photo by Mat Hayward/Getty Images for IMDb
While it’s clear that Lithgow recognizes and even understands the backlash about the Harry Potter television adaptation, his comments also highlight just how complicated of a relationship some fans have with Harry Potter more broadly, and not just the upcoming HBO series. For many fans, the Harry Potter books were formative and, as Lithgow noted, come from a place of the fight against intolerance and bigotry. After all, one of the core elements of the Harry Potter stories centers around how some in the wizarding world see Muggle-born wizards like Hermione Granger. Quite literally, the “bad guys” in the Harry Potter series are obsessed with blood purity and the magical world, making the entire story an allegory of the fight against discrimination.
With that in mind, Lithgow is correct that the story itself stands in stark contrast to its author’s views, but while the actual story is one that many have found inspiration and comfort in over the years, it’s the financial gain that Rowling continues to enjoy from the franchise — and will enjoy from the television adaptation as she is an executive producer on the project — that doesn’t sit well with some fans. And for some, actors choosing to be a part of the project is seen as alignment or even endorsement of Rowling’s views, though that may not necessarily be the case. It’s a very high-profile test case for the question of whether one can keep the art and distance it from the artist and while the jury is out on that when it comes to fans and audience, it seems that for Lithgow the answer is yes, you can.
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