Paapa Essiedu Faces Racist Death Threats Over Snape Role in HBO's 'Harry Potter'

Paapa Essiedu has received online death threats since March over his casting as Professor Severus Snape in HBO's forthcoming "Harry Potter" series. HBO showrunner Francesca Gardiner calls the abuse "appalling" and says the actor has handled it "with incredible grace."

Gardiner spoke to Vanity Fair as part of a new profile on the actor. "It's appalling that anyone should be subjected to that kind of abuse in any circumstances," Gardiner said. "Paapa has absolutely nailed the role, and it is that performance that deserves our attention."

Essiedu, an Emmy nominee for "I May Destroy You," is the first Black actor to take on Snape in a screen adaptation of J.K. Rowling's franchise. He has been outspoken since March about racism from fans upset with the casting.

What has the abuse looked like?

Essiedu first detailed the threats in an interview with The Sunday Times in March. "I've been told, 'Quit or I'll murder you,'" he said then. "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.'"

He added: "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."

In the Vanity Fair profile, Essiedu distinguished between legitimate criticism and racism. "There's some people who are just like, 'I've done my research, and I know what kind of actor you are, and you suck.' And they're totally entitled to their opinion," he said. "But then there are the people who are like, 'You are bad because you are Black'—which, to me, is racist. But there is a racially driven animosity."

Speaking to Variety last month at the TIME100 Next Gala, Essiedu said "the whole team" behind the series "has been so supportive of me."

Where does Essiedu stand on J.K. Rowling?

The actor also addressed his public support for the trans community. Before his casting, Essiedu signed an open letter condemning the U.K. Supreme Court ruling that transgender women are not legally considered women and transgender men are not legally considered men.

Fans have speculated the stance put him at odds with Rowling, who has courted controversy since 2020 for regularly sharing beliefs on social media that many consider transphobic. In May, Rowling addressed Essiedu's casting directly on X. "I don't have the power to sack an actor from the series and I wouldn't exercise it if I did," she wrote. "I don't believe in taking away people's jobs or livelihoods because they hold legally protected beliefs that differ from mine."

When Vanity Fair raised the author, Essiedu replied: "I don't want to talk about Jo at all."

What comes next?

Essiedu framed the debate around the series as something he accepted knowingly. "Obviously, my priority is the work. I wouldn't take this job on [otherwise], but I walk into it with open eyes," he said. "I've also been blown away by a lot of the support and well-wishes and excitement… It's been a long time coming. Now's the time for people to engage with what we made."

"Harry Potter" debuts Christmas Day on HBO and HBO Max. The premiere will test whether audiences engage with Essiedu's Snape on its own terms.