John Lithgow, This Role Doesn’t Deserve You

Credit: Jamie McCarthy/Getty; Murray Close/Warner Bros.

 

Why I Wrote This Letter to John Lithgow

When I heard rumors that John Lithgow might be cast as Albus Dumbledore in a future Harry Potter project, I felt heartbreak instead of joy. As a trans man who has admired Lithgow’s work my entire life, the idea of him aligning with a franchise whose creator has caused so much harm to the trans community felt personal.

This letter is not a take-down. It’s a respectful, heartfelt plea - from one artist to another. I wrote it because I believe in accountability, but also in compassion. Because I know how much good Lithgow has done through his roles, and how important it is that we continue to tell the truth, even when it’s hard.

Below is my open letter. I hope it reaches the heart it was written for.

 

Dear Mr. Lithgow,

My name is Alyus Vasquez, and I’m an AFAB (assigned female at birth) trans man writing to you with deep respect and lifelong admiration.

First and foremost, I want to express my heartfelt appreciation for the incredible body of work you’ve given the world. From The World According to Garp to Shrek, The Twilight Zone: The Movie, Third Rock from the Sun, and Dexter - these aren’t just standout performances; they’re cultural touchstones that have accompanied me throughout my life. Your ability to shift effortlessly between humor, horror, tenderness, and absurdity is nothing short of masterful.

What I’ve always admired most is how deeply you seem to pour yourself into each role. Even in the most fantastical or outlandish of settings, your performances feel grounded in empathy, curiosity, and humanity. And whether intentionally or not, many of the roles you’ve chosen have had a lasting, positive impact on the LGBTQ+ community. You’ve played queer-coded characters, eccentric outsiders, and unconventional fathers - including your powerful portrayal of Roberta Muldoon, a transgender woman, in The World According to Garp, and done so with dignity, heart, and sincerity.

You’ve also been a consistent ally to our community through your work, and I want to acknowledge that clearly before saying anything else: thank you.

That’s why it pains me to write this.

Recently, reports surfaced that you may be taking on the role of Albus Dumbledore in a future installment of the Harry Potter franchise. Ordinarily, this news would have filled me with the kind of childlike excitement that only beloved books and beloved actors can conjure. But I - and many others - cannot separate this role from its creator, J.K. Rowling, whose actions and public platform have been used to fund, promote, and validate dangerous anti-trans rhetoric and policy.

To many cisgender people, Rowling’s comments may seem like just “opinions.” But for trans people like myself, they translate to real-world consequences: discriminatory laws, healthcare bans, and violence. In both the U.K. and the U.S., her influence has emboldened lawmakers and extremists alike. She isn’t merely a controversial figure; she is actively invested in opposing our rights and identities - and she is winning. Rowling has openly mocked both asexual and transgender people on social media and has stated that she believes those who continue to buy her books and merchandise must agree with her views.

While I admired her for many years for the work she’s done in the name of protecting women’s rights, the rhetoric she pushes now is not only deeply harmful to the trans community - it also enforces a narrower, more restrictive definition of what it means to be a “real” woman, which ultimately harms cisgender women as well.

I want to make clear that I am not a cisgender woman. I don’t even identify as a woman at all. I am a man. And more than I identify as a man, I strive every day to be a good person. My morals and values have pushed me to write this letter in hopes of making a genuine connection. Because I love and respect women and want them to feel safe and heard just as much as J.K. Rowling does - I just believe you don’t have to hurt trans people to do that. There is no need to put someone else down in order to have rights.

The franchise that once represented hope and magic to so many now carries a shadow for us - a reminder of how easily our humanity can be debated in the public square.

I understand that you’ve worked with controversial figures throughout your long and luminous career. You are no stranger to the complexities of Hollywood, to backlash, nuance, and the push and pull between art and the forces that shape it. I also know that a letter from a stranger is unlikely to succeed where, reportedly, even a letter from a friend may not have.

But I write this anyway, because it doesn’t hurt to try. It doesn’t hurt to hope that someone with your integrity and history of thoughtful artistry might pause, just for a moment, and consider what this role might mean in the broader picture - not just for your legacy, but for those of us whose lives and rights are on the line.

Actors of the past, even some widely respected today, made choices in the 1930s and 40s that history has not looked kindly on. Some American actors, while not openly endorsing fascism, participated in racially insensitive films or perpetuated harmful stereotypes without resistance. For example, actors like Mickey Rooney (Breakfast at Tiffany’s) and Judy Garland (in blackface for Everybody Sing) took part in roles that promoted racial caricatures. These performances were often excused at the time as being “of the era,” but today we recognize them as moments where silence or complicity contributed to harm. Some, like actor and public figure Charles Lindbergh Jr., were open in their admiration for fascist regimes, praising Nazi Germany and participating in the America First movement that sought to keep the U.S. from intervening against Hitler.

Their work lives on, but so does the knowledge that they remained silent - or worse, complicit - during moments that called for moral clarity.

We are living through one of those moments now. I want to acknowledge that your potential role as Dumbledore is not exactly the same as aligning with fascism in the 1930s and 40s - but it is similar in that it presents a moral crossroads. It asks artists and public figures to make difficult choices about what they stand for and who they stand with. When influential people lend their talents to a franchise built by someone who is actively harming marginalized people, it sends a message, even if unintentionally. Like then, silence or participation can be interpreted as agreement.

That’s why this moment matters.

You have nothing to prove to anyone. Your legacy is secure. You’ve already given so much to this world through your art. All I ask is that you consider how aligning with Rowling’s franchise, no matter how iconic the role, might look in the mirror of history—because if there's one thing we both know, it's that what we reflect matters. And frankly, Mr. Lithgow, you've already proven one thing time and time again: You're gorgeous.

 

With gratitude, admiration, and hope,
A lifelong fan
Alyus Vasquez
Spokane, Washington