Actor Paapa Essiedu, who is set to play the role of Professor Snape in the upcoming Harry Potter reboot series, has been receiving race-fuelled death threats, he revealed recently in an interview.
“I’ve been told, ‘Quit or I’ll murder you,’” Essiedu told The Sunday Times of London in a recent interview.
“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,” he added.
Essiedu is set to play potions master Severus Snape in the upcoming HBO adaptation of JK Rowling’s Wizarding World. The role was previously played by Alan Rickman in the original film franchise.
Essiedu’s casting sparked intense backlash from fans online after the announcement last year.
“But the abuse fuels me,” the actor further shared. “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.”
The actor, known for his performances in Black Mirror and I May Destroy You, confessed that he has never seen the original movies, which starred Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint. However, he said he had been a fan of JK Rowling’s novels as a child.
“I was an avid reader as a kid,” he said. “My mum couldn’t afford a babysitter in the holidays, so she would take me to the library. I loved ‘Harry Potter.’ I never saw the films but the books were escapism when other things were less easy for me.”
The upcoming series is set to premiere on HBO Max in 2027 with an entirely new cast. The central trio will consist of Dominic McLaughlin as Harry, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley.
Essiedu has signed up for the role, which he will play for ten years. Calling it a “big commitment”, he said, “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.”
