John Lithgow referenced President Donald Trump on Sunday night at the Olivier Awards, first in a speech as he accepted the award for best actor, and then again backstage while speaking to press.
Newsweek has reached out to a representative for Lithgow via email for comment.
Why It Matters
Lithgow, 79, is an Tony Award winning and Academy Award nominated actor known for his roles in films like Terms of Endearment (1983) and Conclave (2024). During a one-season run on the show Dexter, Lithgow won an Emmy and a Golden Globe for his performance.
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Earlier this year, it was confirmed that Lithgow will be playing Headmaster Albus Dumbledore in HBO’s television adaptation of the beloved Harry Potter franchise.
What To Know
Lithgow won the award for best actor for his portrayal of the author Roal Dahl in the play Giant. It is his first Olivier award, which he told the BBC he “never thought” he would win.
On stage accepting his award, Lithgow said, “I want to thank all of you for welcoming me and my wife Mary so thoroughly to England, it’s not always easy to welcome an American into your midst, and at this particular moment it’s probably a little more complicated than usual.”
“But for me and for Mary and from all of our countrymen and countrywomen I want to assure you that the special relationship is still firmly intact.”
The term “special relationship” is used to describe the relationship shared by the U.S. and U.K., who have frequently worked together on foreign policy in the 20th and 21st centuries.
Backstage, Lithgow told the British PA news agency that “hopefully, we [the U.S.] are at the beginning of a period of restoration and reparation,” and added that he did have hope despite the “complete disaster of this administration.”
Lithgow’s remarks came shortly after Trump announced sweeping tariffs around the world on multiple countries, including the U.K.
Addressing the tariffs, British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said, “Nobody wins in a trade war. That is not in our national interest. And we have a fair and balanced trade relationship with the U.S.”
A 25 percent tariff on “all foreign-made automobiles” will take effect on April 3. The 10 percent “baseline” tariffs will take effect on April 5, and the reciprocal tariffs will kick in on April 9.
What People Are Saying
John Lithgow, speaking to Screen Rant about his upcoming role as Dumbledore: “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.”
What’s Next
Lithgow will appear as Roald Dahl in Giant again on London’s West End between April and August 2025.
The HBO Harry Potter TV series reboot is reportedly set to debut in 2026.
