John Lithgow has been cast as Albus Dumbledore in HBO's reboot of the Harry Potter series. While fans have mixed feelings about the remake, largely due to the previous films' ending and J.K. Rowling's controversial views on transgender issues, Lithgow's history in portraying trans characters adds complexity. He received an Oscar nomination for his role as Roberta Muldoon in 'The World According to Garp,' recognized as an early representation of trans characters in cinema. Notably, John Irving expressed that Lithgow could have portrayed Roberta with more depth than the comedic lens applied by the film's director.
"I knew we didn't see eye to eye about Roberta. George was a World War II guy; he couldn't see past the comedic part of a transgender woman who'd been an NFL player."
"A pity, because John Lithgow, who was cast as Roberta in the film, could have played her as I wrote her. Roberta is a force of normality in an otherwise extreme world."
Collection
[
|
...
]