John Lithgow has confirmed he will play Albus Dumbledore in HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter TV series, becoming the first American actor to take on the iconic role.
The 79-year-old Emmy-winning star revealed the news in an interview with Screen Rant, following weeks of speculation about his casting.
Lithgow will be the fourth actor to portray the Hogwarts headmaster, following Richard Harris and Michael Gambon in the film series, and Jude Law in the Fantastic Beasts prequels.
His casting marks a significant departure from the original film franchise’s approach, which famously adhered to JK Rowling’s “British-only” rule for actors.
HBO has yet to officially announce Lithgow’s role, with a spokesperson telling Screen Rant they will “only confirm details as we finalise deals”.
Speaking to Screen Rant, Lithgow described his surprise at being offered the role and said: “It came as a total surprise to me. I just got the phone call up at the Sundance Film Festival for yet another film, and it was not an easy decision because it’s going to define me for the last chapter of my life, I’m afraid.”
The American actor will be the first non-British actor to play the role
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Despite his initial hesitation, the actor expressed enthusiasm about joining the project: “I’m very excited. Some wonderful people are turning their attention back to Harry Potter. That’s why it’s been such a hard decision. I’ll be about 87 years old at the wrap party, but I’ve said yes.”
In a separate interview with Collider, he described the role as “a wonderful winding down role” and expressed his desire to do the character and fans “justice”.
Casting director Janet Hirshenson previously revealed that even Robin Williams was turned down for the role of Hagrid due to this edict.
“It was a British-only edict, and once he said no to Robin, he wasn’t going to say yes to anybody else,” Hirshenson told the Huffington Post.
Michael Gambon played the iconic character from the third film
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Richard Harris, who first portrayed Dumbledore, was 69 when filming began on the first Harry Potter film. He appeared in two films before his death in 2002 at age 72.
Michael Gambon took over the role at age 63 and continued until the final film, when he was 70. He passed away in September 2023 aged 82.
At 79, Lithgow is significantly older than both previous Dumbledore actors were when they began.
Addressing concerns about his American accent, Lithgow confirmed to Collider he would adopt an English accent for the role. “[He’s] certainly an Englishman.
“In fact, there’s a good deal of controversy that an American has been hired to play him. He’s such an icon. I’m half-English,” he explained.
Filming will take place at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden in the UK, where the original movies were also shot, with the being marketed as a “faithful adaptation” of Rowling’s seven books, with each book reportedly getting its own season.
John Lithgow’s signing breaks JK Rowling’s “British-only” rule
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Other rumoured casting includes Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, Sharon Horgan as Professor McGonagall and Brett Goldstein as Hagrid, though none have been officially confirmed.