British actor Paapa Essiedu has revealed he received racist death threats over his casting as Professor Snape in the upcoming Harry Potter series on HBO.
Toxic fandom is nothing new, but we’re reminded on a regular basis how fan culture continues to entrench itself in increasing toxicity. Impassioned responses are being replaced by harassment and threats, sadly evoking that the word ‘fan’ is an abbreviation of ‘fanatic’.
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The latest victim of this deeply troubling behaviour is British actor Paapa Essiedu, who is set to star as Professor Severus Snape in HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter series.
Following the abuse hurled at South African-British actress when she was cast as Hermione Granger in the West End run of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Essiedu has also revealed he received racist death threats following his casting as the Hogwarts professor previously played by the late Alan Rickman.
In a new interview with The Times, the 35-year-old I May Destroy You star recalled being told: “Quit or I’ll murder you”.
“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,’” the star said of the online abuse.
When asked if he could just choose to stay off social media, he responded: “But even if you successfully ignore it, it doesn’t mean it’s not happening. The issue remains endemic and, anyway, people see stuff and message to ask if I’m OK.”
Essiedu 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.”
However, the actor affirmed that the abuse “fuels me”.
“(It) 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.”
Essiedu hasn’t reported any of the death threats to authorities.
“I don’t think some 17-year-old boy being put in jail for two weeks for threatening to murder me would actually make me feel any better,” he explained.
These revelations highlighting the darker side of fandom add themselves to pre-existing controversy regarding the new Potter series - especially criticism over J.K. Rowling’s involvement in the project.
The author has repeatedly come under fire for her comments about gender, with many (including the cast members of the Potter film adaptations) accusing her of transphobia.
Shortly after Essiedu was cast, the actor was among the community of over 400 TV and film professionals who signed a letter calling for UK industry action to protect trans rights.
“My points of view are mine and will continue to be so,” Essiedu said. “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.”
Additionally, John Lithgow, who will play Dumbledore in the new series, recently said that he considered quitting the show over the backlash he received due to Rowling’s anti-trans views.
In a recent profile by The New York Times, he revealed he decided to stay, describing the books as “clearly on the side of the angels, against intolerance and bigotry.” He did accept, however, the fact that in “every interview I will ever do for the rest of my life this will come up.”
The forthcoming Harry Potter series aims to adapt each of J.K. Rowling’s novels into a separate season, meaning there will be eight seasons of the show. It is being filmed now.
Essiedu has signed onto the series for 10 years, saying it was a “big commitment.”
“I’ll be 45 by the time I finish,” he said. “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.”
The first season of HBO’s Harry Potter is scheduled to premiere in 2027.
