Harry Potter star Paapa Essiedu has responded to the ongoing backlash towards his casting in the HBO series, saying he’s focused on bringing “humanity” and “complexity” to his character rather than getting caught up in the controversy. The upcoming show is set to reboot the franchise, with season 1 – Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone – due to premiere on HBO on Christmas Day. Essiedu was announced as the new Severus Snape back in April 2025. And while he’s a huge fan of the Wizarding World, the actor revealed earlier this year that he’s received online abuse and even death threats online over the casting. Separately, the show has also faced ongoing scrutiny from a different corner of the fandom due to the involvement of JK Rowling. The Harry Potter author has become an increasingly controversial figure due to her commentary on issues relating to the trans community. When it comes to the internet’s reaction of Paapa Essiedu being cast as Severus Snape, he says he’s focus is on bringing humanity and complexity to the character. “I concentrate on the job at hand, which is to give as much humanity, as much depth, dimensions, layers, complexity… pic.twitter.com/KaqK1d2N4T — TIME (@TIME) October 30, 2026 Speaking to Time last week at the Time100 Next event, Essiedu said, “People have got a lot of feelings about this. Obviously, everyone’s got their own opinions about whatever.” But, he said, “For me, I concentrate on the job at hand, which is to give as much humanity, as much depth, dimensions, layers, complexity to a character that has a lot of that. “That is my job. And it’s a privilege and an honour to do it and I look forward to being able to do it for a long time now.” This isn’t the first time Essiedu has responded to the situation. Speaking to The Sunday Times back in March, he was explicit about the racist abuse he’s faced over the Snape casting. The actor explained, “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…” Credit: HBO “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.” For all the latest film and TV updates and hot takes, like our Facebook page. Featured image credit: HBO Post navigation Next storyPrevious story
