John Lithgow has been cast as Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore in the new adaptation of Harry Potter, breaking an old rule that governed the film series.
Lithgow will no doubt be talented enough to inhabit a role that was previously played by Michael Gambon and Richard Harris, but there’s something that makes him stand out.
No, it’s not that he previously played an alien in Third Rock from the Sun.
John Lithgow takes on one of Harry Potter’s biggest roles
The new Harry Potter series has cost a lot of money and some big names are on board.
Some big names notably aren’t on board too, given the controversial nature of the series’ creator JK Rowling.
Keira Knightley recently spoke about the show, explaining why she is involved, and clearly the controversy hasn’t affected her - unlike some stars of the original film series.
However, the casting of Lithgow - who is now almost into his 80s - has raised a few eyebrows not because of the often-criticized takes of the writer, but because of one word on the front of his passport.
Previously, Harry Potter has predominantly employed British actors
The thing that a lot of people have noticed is that Lithgow is from the United States.
He was born in New York State and will take on the role of the English wizard Professor Dumbledore.
This contravenes a rule that has been in place for a long time in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and one that has seen quite a few famous names turned away from roles.
Even the great Robin Williams couldn’t get past that rule.
The existence of the rule was confirmed by casting director Janet Hirshenson, who told Huffington Post: "The 'only British' rule was so important that Robin Williams was even turned down to play Hagrid…Robin had called [Columbus] because he really wanted to be in the movie,
"But it was a British-only edict, and once he said no to Robin, he wasn’t going to say yes to anybody else, that’s for sure. It couldn’t be."
Famously that role went to Robbie Coltrane, and will go to Nick Frost for this new series.
Of course, the rule isn’t 100 percent accurate.
Not everyone in the Harry Potter world has been English
The English rule isn't actually that concrete.
Domhnall Gleeson, Devon Murray, and Evanna Lynch are all Irish, to start with.
Zoë Wanamaker was born in the USA but grew up in England, and Verne Troyer and Eleanor Columbus also played parts despite being Americans.
Even the role of Dumbledore was played by Gambon, who was born in Ireland.
Luckily, Lithgow has experience playing English roles, having taken on Winston Churchill in The Crown as well.
If he can do that, this should be no problem.
For his part, his age is the most interesting factor, as he’ll be 87 when the series ends.
Talking to Screenrant, Lithgow said: "It was not an easy decision because it's going to define me for the last chapter of my life, I'm afraid. But I'm very excited.”