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John Lithgow is surprised by the backlash from critics of J.K. Rowling over his casting in the upcoming Harry Potter HBO series.

While Lithgow said he thought hard about whether or not he would take on the role as Albus Dumbledore in the show, he told U.K.’s Sunday Times it was due to the time commitment of it and not whether or not he wanted to be associated with Rowling.

Rowling has long been criticized by LGBTQIA+ organizations and members for her repeated rhetoric that is tied to the TERF (trans-exclusionary radical feminists) movement, who are a group of people that believe transgender women are not women.

“It was a big decision because it’s probably the last major role I’ll play,” Lithgow said. “It’s an eight-year commitment, so I was just thinking about mortality and that this is a very good winding-down role.”

After he had been cast in the part, Lithgow said he received a text from “a very good friend who is the mother of a trans child.” The text included a link to an op-ed titled, An Open Letter to John Lithgow: Please Walk Away from Harry Potter.

“That was the canary in the coal mine,” Lithgow said, before explaining he has been surprised by the rage Rowling’s name and involvement in the project evokes.

“I thought, ‘Why is this a factor at all?’ I wonder how J.K. Rowling has absorbed it. I suppose at a certain point I’ll meet her, and I’m curious to talk to her,” Lithgow said.

When asked if the criticism from critics of Rowling has soured his part in the show, Lithgow said, “Oh, heavens no.” 

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