John Lithgow acknowledged public reaction to his casting as Albus Dumbledore in the upcoming Harry Potter series from Max during an April 16 appearance on BBC’s The One Show. The role, previously played by Richard Harris, Michael Gambon, and Jude Law, will now be taken on by Lithgow in a new adaptation announced earlier this month.
“It’s an enormous thrill,” Lithgow said. “But I know there were plenty of people appalled that an American should be hired to play the ultimate English wizard. But, I will do my best.”
He pointed to his performance as Winston Churchill in The Crown as an example of taking on British roles in the past. “I’m not an Englishman, although I’ve played one on TV,” he said. “I remind everyone that I did play Winston Churchill on The Crown and did just fine.”
Speaking on the SmartLess podcast in March, Lithgow discussed the demands of the role. “Dumbledore, he’s kind of this nuclear weapon. He only goes off very, very occasionally,” he said. He also mentioned the length of the series’ production plan. “If this is indeed a seven or eight-year long job, it’s a wonderful way to grow old as an actor,” he said. “The logistics are scary.”
Lithgow noted that he had not yet finished reading the full Harry Potter series. “I seem to be behind everybody,” he said. “I’m halfway through the second of these seven novels.”
On April 14, Max confirmed a round of casting announcements. Alongside Lithgow as Dumbledore, the studio named Janet McTeer as McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Snape, Nick Frost as Hagrid, Paul Whitehouse as Filch, and Luke Thallon as Quirrell.
Showrunner Francesca Gardiner and director Mark Mylod, both serving as executive producers, said in a joint statement: “We are happy to announce the casting of John Lithgow, Janet McTeer, Paapa Essiedu, Nick Frost, Luke Thallon and Paul Whitehouse… We’re delighted to have such extraordinary talent onboard.”
The series is being described by the studio as a faithful screen adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s novels and will stream exclusively on Max. Reports surrounding casting began circulating before the official announcement, including claims that Mark Rylance had been considered for the role of Dumbledore before stepping away for personal reasons.
