HBO’s Harry Potter has been under the microscope ever since its conception, but Paapa Essiedu’s casting as Severus Snape has brought something uglier with it.
The actor said that the reaction to his casting as Snape has included racist abuse and even death threats after HBO announced him as part of the magical-fantasy series.
In his interview with The Times U.K., Essiedu made it brutally clear how bad it has been with the comments that he’s come across which were primarily made by fans of the original movies and books. He said:
“The reality is that if I look at Instagram I will see somebody saying, ‘I’m going to come to your house and kill you…But, yes, while I hope I’ll be OK, nobody should have to encounter this for doing their job.”
Paapa Essiedu says the abuse around Harry Potter and Snape casting has been nonstop
The HBO Harry Potter actor did not speak in vague terms about the online hate he has received. In the same interview while discussing the racist response to his casting as Snape in the HBO series with The Times U.K., Paapa Essiedu said,
“I’ve been told, ‘Quit or I’ll m*rder you…'”
He also said the threats do affect him even if he tries to keep away from them.
Essiedu will be playing Severus Snape, a role made iconic by the late Alan Rickman, and Warner Bros. It is a long-term project and Essiedu acknowledged it:
He said,
“Yes, this is a big commitment. I’ll be 45 by the time I finish and I know my life is going to change in a big way, but I have to just surrender to that. I could have children by the end of this.”
He was also asked about why he does not stay away from social media and he said that ignoring all of the hate that he receives online will not make it vanish over-night.
“But even if you successfully ignore it, it doesn’t mean it’s not happening…”
He further went on to say that there are people who still see the abuse and reach out to ask if he is okay, which says a lot about just how visible the hate has been to the actor as well as to the people around him.
Why Essiedu is still moving ahead with Harry Potter despite the backlash
What stands out most is that Paapa Essiedu is not letting it disconnect him out of Harry Potter HBO project. In fact, he said it has made him more determined to approach Snape’s character on his own terms.
He told The Times U.K.,
“But the abuse fuels me. And makes me more passionate about making this character my own…”
Essiedu said that when he was younger, the books gave him a sort of escapism. He remembered imagining himself at Hogwarts and said the thought that
“a kid like me can see themselves represented in that world” is part of what keeps him going.
The actor also addressed another major point tied to his name lately: his public disagreement with J.K. Rowling’s anti-trans views. Essiedu said,
“My points of view are mine and will continue to be so…”
He also explained that he signed a letter supporting trans rights because trans artists deserve dignity and should be able to work without intimidation. He added that the production team has supported him and that he would sign that letter again.
Paapa Essiedu has been facing an endless amount of backlash for being cast as Snape in HBO’s adaptation of Harry Potter to a point where the backlash has now gotten out of hand.
From racism to receiving m*rder threats on a daily basis, Essiedu has openly talked about a level of hate that nobody should be expected to accept as part of the job. At the same time, he made it clear he is not backing away from the role.
Stay tuned to SoapCentral for more updates on HBO’s Harry Potter.
Edited by Yesha Srivastava