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"Very excited, very intimidated" — John Lithgow opens up about playing Dumbledore in HBO’s Harry Potter reboot
American actor John Lithgow has been officially announced as the new Albus Dumbledore in HBO's upcoming Harry Potter reboot series. The character was previously portrayed by Richard Harris and Michael Gambon in the original film series, while Jude Law played a younger version of Dumbledore in the Fantastic Beasts film series.
During an appearance on BBC's The One Show on April 16, 2025, Lithgow shared his thoughts on being cast in the iconic role.
"Very excited. Very intimidated," he said.
He continued:
"I will be following the great Michael Gambon. I’m not an Englishman, although I’ve played one on TV. I remind everyone that I did play Winston Churchill on The Crown and did just fine."
Except for John Lithgow, all the actors who have portrayed the character so far are British. So, there is some skepticism regarding his casting, and Lithgow is aware of this. He assured:
"It’s an enormous thrill. 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."
John Lithgow shared his thoughts about Albus Dumbledore
John Lithgow revealed his casting as Albus Dumbledore before HBO officially announced the news. During his appearance on the SmartLess podcast on March 24, 2025, he shared that he was halfway through the second book, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, as a part of his preparation.
Reflecting on the character, Lithgow said:
"You know, Dumbledore is — he’s kind of the nuclear weapon. He only goes on very, very occasionally. I don’t think it’s gonna be that hard a job, and, we’ll just go back and forth."
Albus Dumbledore is the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry until he is killed by Severus Snape, who takes over the position of the headmaster from then on.
In the same podcast, John Lithgow also shared how the public had already started approaching him in public to ask about the upcoming series.
"Can you believe this has already started? The deal was only set, like, 48 hours ago, and in airports two weeks ago, somehow or other, people had gotten wind of this, and they were stopping me," he shared.
Who else will star in HBO's Harry Potter reboot series?
On April 14, 2025, HBO announced the casting of five other characters for the upcoming Harry Potter reboot series, alongside John Lithgow as Headmaster Albus Dumbledore. Luke Thallon and Paul Whitehouse have been cast as Quirinus Quirrell and Argus Filch, respectively.
Also read: 8 reasons why Neville Longbottom deserves more recognition in Harry Potter
Paapa Essiedu has been cast as Professor Severus Snape, one of the most iconic characters from the novels. This casting decision has met with criticism online, with some netizens suggesting that Adam Driver would have been a better fit. The character was famously portrayed by the late Alan Rickman in the film series.
Janet McTeer will portray Minerva McGonagall, the professor of Transfiguration at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The late Maggie Smith portrayed the character in the films.
Nick Frost will play Rubeus Hagrid, a half-giant who is the gamekeeper and groundskeeper at Hogwarts. The late Scottish actor Robbie Coltrane appeared as Hagrid in all eight Harry Potter movies.
All eight Harry Potter movies are available to stream on Max.
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