John Lithgow Has A Message For Harry Potter Fans Unhappy With Him Playing Dumbledore

John Lithgow has heard your complaints about him playing Harry Potter's Dumbledore — so allow him to retort.

The Emmy winner was officially cast this week as the beloved Hogwarts headmaster in HBO's upcoming Harry Potter TV series, but some fans of the fantasy book series have raised an objection because Lithgow isn't British. (He was born in New York, for the record, and the role of Dumbledore was played by Richard Harris and Michael Gambon — both Irish — in the Harry Potter films.)

"I'm not an Englishman," Lithgow admitted in a recent interview with BBC's The One Show, but he also noted that "I've played one on TV. I remind everyone that I did play Winston Churchill on The Crown and did just fine." He did more than fine, actually: Lithgow won his sixth Emmy in 2017 for playing the UK Prime Minster in Season 1 of Netflix's royal drama.

"It's an enormous thrill" to play Dumbledore, Lithgow added. "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."

Along with Lithgow, Janet McTeer (Ozark) has been cast to play Transfiguration professor Minerva McGonagall on the HBO series, along with Paapa Essiedu (I May Destroy You) as Potions master Severus Snape and Nick Frost (Into the Badlands) as Hogwarts groundskeeper Rubeus Hagrid.

HBO's Harry Potter series, which begins production this summer, has been billed as a "faithful adaptation" of J.K. Rowling's popular novels, "full of the fantastic detail and much-loved characters Harry Potter fans have adored for over 25 years," per the official synopsis. There's currently no firm timetable for the show's premiere, though it could arrive as late as 2027.

Do you approve of Lithgow's casting? Head down to the comments to share your thoughts, Harry Potter fans.