British actor Paapa Essiedu (“I May Destroy You,” “The Lazarus Project”) has revealed that he’s received race-fuelled death threats over his casting as Professor Severus Snape in the HBO Max take on the “Harry Potter” franchise.
Essiedu is a Royal Shakespeare Company trained actor who has previously starred in films like “The Outrun,” “Men,” and “Murder on the Orient Express” along with TV series like “Gangs of London,” “Anne Boleyn” and “I May Destroy You”.
His most high-profile role to date was as the lead in the well-received sci-fi series “The Lazarus Project” about a British agency in control of a time loop that can be reset to a fixed point at the same time of year to prevent world-ending events.
His casting as Snape received a backlash from the toxic elements unhappy with a black actor taking on the role of the potions master previously played by Alan Rickman in the films. In a new interview with The Sunday Times of London, Essiedu says:
“I’ve been told, ‘Quit or I’ll murder you’… It really matters. 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.’ So while I’m pretty sure I’m not going to be murdered…That could age badly! But, yes, while I hope I’ll be OK, nobody should have to encounter this for doing their job. Many people put their lives on the line in their work. I’m playing a wizard in ‘Harry Potter.’ And I’d be lying if I said it doesn’t affect me emotionally.
But the abuse fuels me, and makes me more passionate about making this character my own, because I think of how I felt as a kid. I would imagine myself at Hogwarts on broomsticks, and the idea that a kid like me can see themselves represented in that world? That’s motivation to not be intimidated by someone saying they’d rather I died instead of doing work I’m going to be really proud of.
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.”
Essiedu also revealed he hasn’t seen the films, but was a fan of J.K. Rowling’s book series as a child as he was an avid reader as a kid. The new series is set to launch on HBO Max in 2027.
