John Lithgow defends himself against criticism for his role as Dumbledore

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At 79 years of age, actor John Lithgow has taken on the complicated task of bringing Albus Dumbledore to life on the small screen. Known for his long career in Hollywood, as well as great performances on television, the American will have to at least live up to Richard Harris, Michael Gambon and Jude Law, his predecessors in the role in the film saga of the Harry Potter universe created by J.K. Rowling.

While the biggest controversy surrounding the Max series centers on the choice of Pappa Essiedu as Severus Snape, a good portion of the wizarding world fan community has not taken kindly, at least at first, to the arrival of Lithgow as the headmaster of Hogwarts School. The actor referred to this group of ‘potterheads’ in a recent statement.

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Lithgow wanted to be Dumbledore

On the BBC’s The One Show, the actor confessed to feeling “excited and at the same time intimidated” by his signing for the Harry Potter series. “I will take over from the great Michael Gambon. I’m not English, although I played one on TV. I want to remind everyone that I was Winston Churchill in ‘The Crown’ and that I did well,” he recalled.

“I mean, it’s a huge thrill. I know there were a lot of people horrified that they hired an American to play the quintessential English wizard, but I’ll do the best I can,” Lithgow added in his interview with the aforementioned media outlet.

Filming has not yet begun, as he himself admitted, and he is taking the time to read the seven books by J.K. Rowling to get to know the story in depth, not only of his character, but also of the magical world. “I’m a little behind everyone else. I’m halfway through the second of the seven books,” he said on the ‘SmartLess’ podcast.

Everything indicates that he still has time to finish them, as the premiere of the first season is not expected until at least late 2026 and it is even possible, according to rumors, that it will be postponed to 2027 to shape a product that has already been born with a few controversies behind it.

This news was originally published on this post .

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