Harry Potter star John Lithgow struggles to 'contemplate' how long he'll be playing Albus Dumbledore
John Lithgow will play Albus Dumbledore in the upcoming Harry Potter series on HBO.
John Lithgow admits playing Albus Dumbledore until he's almost 90 is "an extremely difficult thing to contemplate".
The 80-year-old actor has signed on to play the Hogwarts headmaster in HBO's upcoming Harry Potter reboot, which will start this Christmas and run for seven seasons, with each one covering one of JK Rowling's books in the wizarding saga.
Speaking in new documentary Finding Harry: The Craft Behind The Magic, he said: "I knew that when I did the first season of Harry Potter, I would be turning 80 years old.
“That meant that I would age about 88 before it was all over. This is an extremely difficult thing to contemplate.”
He also reflected on the journey awaiting leading trio Dominic McLaughlin (Harry Potter), Alastair Stout (Ron Weasley) and Arabella Stanton (Hermione Granger).
He pondered: "They're going to grow up in this. And I'm going to grow old with them."
Paapa Essiedu (Professor Snape) is "excited" to see how they develop as actors and people.
He said: “I’m really excited to see how they grow and how their artistry grows, and what kind of people they grow into.
And Janet McTeer (Professor McGonagall) added: “Theoretically, we could be working for many years together, and they’ll be young adults by then.”
Lithgow recently opened up on his decision to take the part amid the controversy surrounding Rowling's views on trans issues.
Asked about singing up for the series, he told The New Yorker Radio Hour: "There was everything attractive about the job, and job security into my late years. You don't ignore those issues.
"The whole subject of Rowling's imputed prejudice, it came up after everything was already underway. I'd already said yes (...) I was urged to walk away, and I was not about to do that."
The Crown actor continued: "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 has been twisted and misrepresented, and she has doubled down on it at her own cost."
The seven-time Emmy Award winner previously branded Rowling's trans stance as "ironic and inexplicable".
Speaking at the Rotterdam Film Festival earlier this year, Lithgow said: "I take this subject extremely seriously. She has created this amazing canon for young people and it has jumped into the consciousness of the society. It's about good versus evil, kindness versus cruelty. I find her views ironic and inexplicable. I've never met her, she's not really involved in this production at all. But the people who are, are remarkable."
John even revealed that he was told to "walk away" from the Harry Potter series because of the show's association with Rowling.
He said: "It upsets me when people are opposed to me having anything to do with this. But in Potter canon you see no trace of transphobic sensitivity. She's written this mediation of kindness and acceptance. And Dumbledore is a beautiful role.
"It was a hard decision. It made me uncomfortable and unhappy that people insisted I walk away from the job. I chose not to do that."
