‘Harry Potter’ series star John Lithgow was surprised by J.K. Rowling backlash
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John Lithgow is surprised by the backlash from critics of J.K. Rowling over his casting in the upcoming Harry Potter HBO series.
While Lithgow said he thought hard about whether or not he would take on the role as Albus Dumbledore in the show, he told U.K.’s Sunday Times it was due to the time commitment of it and not whether or not he wanted to be associated with Rowling.
Rowling has long been criticized by LGBTQIA+ organizations and members for her repeated rhetoric that is tied to the TERF (trans-exclusionary radical feminists) movement, who are a group of people that believe transgender women are not women.
“It was a big decision because it’s probably the last major role I’ll play,” Lithgow said. “It’s an eight-year commitment, so I was just thinking about mortality and that this is a very good winding-down role.”
“That was the canary in the coal mine,” Lithgow said, before explaining he has been surprised by the rage Rowling’s name and involvement in the project evokes.
“I thought, ‘Why is this a factor at all?’ I wonder how J.K. Rowling has absorbed it. I suppose at a certain point I’ll meet her, and I’m curious to talk to her,” Lithgow said.
When asked if the criticism from critics of Rowling has soured his part in the show, Lithgow said, “Oh, heavens no.”
The stars were out in Hollywood Sunday for the 97th Academy Awards.
The show opened with a musical tribute to cinematic versions of The Wizard of Oz, featuring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, then cut to a The Substance-inspired video with host Conan O’Brien appearing from Demi Moore’s body.
Conan was then finally introduced as a “four-time Oscar viewer” and cracked jokes about all the Oscar-nominated films.
Regarding the length of The Brutalist,he noted,“I love The Brutalist, I didn’t want it to end. And luckily it didn’t.”
He also poked fun at the controversy surrounding Emilia Pérez star Karla Sofía Gascón’s past tweets, joking about how many times fellow nominee Anora uses the F-word, then adding, “That’s three more than the record set by Karla Sofía Gascón’s publicist.”
Conan also warned winners about their speeches being too long, and threatened to show early headshots of the actors if they were, including Timothée Chalamet‘s, whose picture was a sonogram. There was even a cameo from a dressed-down Adam Sandler.
Conan also got serious and talked about having the Oscars in the wake of recent Los Angeles wildfires.
“At moments like this, any award show can seem self-indulgent and superfluous,” he said, but then noted how the show “shines a light on a community of people you never see,” including those behind the camera.
He added, “So yes, even in the face of terrible wildfires and divisive politics, the work, which is what this is about, the work continues. And next year and through years to come, in trauma and joy, this seemingly absurd ritual is gonna be here,” before joking, “I will not.”
Finally, Conan ended the monologue with a musical number about how he won’t waste time during the show, thereby obviously wasting everyone’s time.
Blake Lively filed an amended version of her lawsuit against her It Ends with Us co-star and director Justin Baldoni on Feb. 18.
The actress’s lawyers said in a statement that the new version “provides significant additional evidence and corroboration of her original claims” and “includes previously undisclosed communications” as well as “numerous other witnesses.”
The amended complaint alleges that Lively was not the only woman to voice concern over sexual harassment on the set of It Ends with Us.
Lively’s complaint notes that in May 2023 “another female cast member reported her own concerns regarding Mr. Baldoni’s unwelcome behavior” and that the cast member came forward despite “considerable reservations” because she felt “the work on the Film was suffering as a result of Mr. Baldoni’s behavior.” She claims Baldoni then “responded to that cast member in writing, acknowledging that he was aware of her concerns and that adjustments would be made” but that conditions didn’t approve.
“Later, another female cast member confided to Ms. Lively that she too felt uncomfortable on set,” the amended complaint reads. “All of this occurred, and was documented in writing, almost one year before the editing of the Film began.”
Lively’s amended complaint alleges that Baldoni’s “false narrative crumbles under the indisputable truth that Ms. Lively was not alone in complaining about Mr. Baldoni and raised her concerns contemporaneously as they arose in 2023, not in connection with some imagined power play for control of the Film in 2024.” Additionally, it alleges Baldoni “acknowledged the complaints in writing at the time” and “knew that women other than Ms. Lively also were uncomfortable and had complained about his behavior.”
Lively argues in her amended complaint that Baldoni’s public persona of having “portrayed himself as a leader of the male feminist movement” is a “stark contrast” to his private behavior, which she alleges “is replete with hypocrisy, misogyny, and retaliation.”
The actress’s attorneys said in a statement of the amended complaint, “Over the next several weeks, we will move to dismiss the utterly meritless lawsuits brought against Ms. Lively and Mr. [Ryan] Reynolds, and we will move full speed ahead with discovery that we expect will reveal shocking details about the depth to which the Defendants have sunk in their unending efforts to ‘bury,’ ‘ruin,’ and ‘destroy’ Ms. Lively and her family.”
The amended complaint has also added a new claim for defamation, which, according to Lively’s attorneys, is “based on the repeated false statements the defendants have made about Ms. Lively since she filed her original complaint.”
Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, issued a statement in response to Lively’s amended complaint, claiming in part that it “is filled with unsubstantial hearsay of unnamed persons who are clearly no longer willing to come forward or publicly support her claims.”
“Since documents do not lie and people do, the upcoming depositions of those who initially supported Ms. Lively’s false claims and those who are witnesses to her own behavior will be enlightening,” he continued. “What is truly remarkable here is Ms. Lively’s lack of actual evidence.”
We only have one more season at Cousins Beach. Prime Video’s The Summer I Turned Pretty will officially conclude with season 3.
The show, based on Jenny Han’s trio of YA books, will debut its final season this July. It will continue to follow the love triangle of Lola Tung’s Belly and brothers Conrad, played by Christopher Briney, and Jeremiah, played by Gavin Casalegno. Season 2 ended with Belly choosing Jeremiah.
The third season is based on the third book in Han’s series, We’ll Always Have Summer.
