The casting announcement for the Harry Potter series continues to raise many concerns. During an interview, the actor chosen by HBO to play Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, spoke out to respond to his critics.
Harry Potter: John Lithgow's response
At the heart of the Warner Bros. group's new economic strategy. Discovery, which intends to get out of its fragile financial situation by focusing primarily on its most lucrative licenses, the Harry Potter series produced by HBO is causing a lot of ink to flow. It must be said that the project seems crazy on paper! While the Harry Potter film saga is still fresh in everyone's minds, will the Hollywood major succeed in imposing this reboot on our nostalgic memory? While obviously, entrusting the series to its subsidiary HBO was certainly the wisest choice, given the reputation of the legendary cable channel is already established, the Harry Potter reboot is already facing to many thorny problems, to say the least.
To begin with, the resounding failure of the Fantastic Beasts saga and the numerous controversial statements made by writer J.K. Rowling, regularly accused of transphobia, have undoubtedly weakened the reputation of the saga, which risks facing a boycott. Then, the first casting announcements are far from having convinced fans; while the recruitment of British actor of Ghanaian origin Paapa Essiedu in the role of Severus Snape - despite being characterized by his pale skin - has aroused Following numerous negative comments, other names announced by HBO have raised a few eyebrows... Among them, the American actor John Lithgow in the role of Albus Dumbledore.
Indeed,while John Lithgow is renowned as an excellent actor, his casting in the HBO series contravenes a great tradition of the saga resulting from the will of J.K. Rowling: recruiting British and non-American actors and actresses. In an interview on BBC's The One Show, the actor responded to criticism of HBO's choice. I will be following in the footsteps of the great Michael Gambon. I am not English, even though I have played one. I remind everyone that I played Winston Churchill in The Crown and did well. [...] I know many people are dismayed that an American was hired to play the ultimate English wizard. But I'll do my best!
By citing the fact that he (admittedly brilliantly) played the role of Winston Churchill in the first two seasons of the excellent series The Crown, John Lithgow seems to be shifting the center of gravity of the debate. Indeed, his abilities to play an English character have never been questioned by Harry Potter fans, who are more critical of the fact that the reboot series breaks with a tradition of the saga and with the desire by J.K. Rowling. What do you think of her response to the criticism she's received? Let us know in the comments section. And to discover Nick Frost's touching promise to Robbie Coltrane, who will play Rubeus Hagrid, click here.
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