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Harry Potter actor Paapa Essiedu has revealed he’s faced shocking death threats since being cast in the TV adaptation.
The upcoming HBO Max series based on J.K. Rowling’s best-selling novel series was first announced in 2021, with Dominic McLaughlin, Alastair Stout and Arabella Stanton later revealed to be playing Harry, Ron and Hermoine after over 32,000 actors were considered for the lead roles.
Meanwhile the main cast also includes John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Paapa as Severus Snape, and Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid.
Filming on the series kicked off last summer, however it has faced significant controversy due to Rowling’s comments about transgender people.
Many fans of the original films said they were planning on boycotting the new series as an act of protest, with many also slamming the actors who’d signed up.
However, Paapa has now spoken about how some opponents have become incensed by his involvement in the show – with many subjecting him to racist abuse over the belief a black man should not play a fictional wizard. Things have become so serious they’ve also threatened to kill him.
‘I’ve been told, “Quit or I’ll murder you”,’ he’s told The Sunday Times.
‘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.’
He added: ‘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.’
Paapa is set to play potions master Snape in the upcoming streaming adaptation, with the role previously played by Alan Rickman across the eight movies.
Addressing the backlash to his casting, the actor went on to say that ‘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?’ he said.
‘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.’
Despite being a massive fan of the books, Paapa went on to admit he’s never actually watched the movie series.
Describing himself as an ‘avid reader’, the actor recalled how his mum couldn’t afford a babysitter in the holidays so would take him to the library, during which time he said the books became a form of ‘escapism’.
The Harry Potter series is set to launch next year, with the adaptation set to stretch across a decade.
Speaking about how he’ll be 45 when it wraps up, Paapa shared: ‘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.’
Shortly after being announced as part of the adaptation’s cast, Paapa was among hundreds of TV and film professionals who signed a letter calling for industry action on trans rights.
In April last year a string of creatives, also including Nicola Coughlan and James Norton, responded to the Supreme Court ruling on trans women – declaring ‘solidarity with the trans, non-binary, and intersex communities’ and preaches that film and TV as ‘powerful tools for empathy and education’.
After Paapa’s appearance as a signatory on the letter, a source MailOnline that Rowling, who is an executive producer on the show, would ‘not be bothered one iota by Essiedu’s decision – and wouldn’t dream of intervening to get him sacked, despite being heavily involved in the project’.
She later explained in a post on X: ‘I don’t have the power to sack an actor from the series and I wouldn’t exercise it if I did. I don’t believe in taking away people’s jobs or livelihoods because they hold legally protected beliefs that differ from mine.’
In the interview with The Sunday Times, Paapa confirmed his commitment to signing the letter, saying that ‘my points of view are mine and will continue to be so’.
‘I signed that letter because I believe that artists in the trans community have a right to be treated with dignity and should be able to work without being intimidated. I have been really supported by the production team and I’d sign that letter again today,’ he declared.
Although he’s not yet met Rowling, he said he secured the job on ‘the merit of my talent’ and if he’d been kicked off the project due to her beliefs, he ‘wouldn’t want to work on the project’.
In the past, Paapa has been a steadfast advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, participating in projects such as I May Destroy You and Femme.
He has also regularly spoken about the importance of nuanced queer Black representation in TV and film.
Speaking in an interview with AnOther in 2021, he said: ‘It feels like we’re kind of moving towards an era where there are more opportunities for different types of stories to be told, or for different types of people to tell them.
‘But it needs us to consciously make an effort to platform those stories. That definitely plays into my mind when I’m thinking about what kind of projects to take on board.’
Rowling has sparked backlash over the years for expressing views that have been described as transphobic by the LGBTQ+ community and civil rights groups.
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