‘Harry Potter’ Star Paapa Essiedu ‘Wouldn’t Have Taken the Job’ If He Couldn’t Handle the Snape Backlash

Few casting decisions in recent television history have drawn as much noise as HBO’s choice of Severus Snape. The role belonged to the late Alan Rickman for 8 films, and many fans treat it as untouchable. When a new actor stepped into the part, the reaction was always going to be loud.

HBO’s ‘Harry Potter’ series announced its Snape in 2025 as part of an ensemble that included John Lithgow as Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as McGonagall and Nick Frost as Hagrid. The younger trio is played by Dominic McLaughlin, Arabella Stanton and Alastair Stout, and the show is being run by Francesca Gardiner. With the series set to premiere on Christmas Day, attention has turned to the man playing the Potions master.

Now Paapa Essiedu has explained how he’s handling the Snape backlash. Speaking to Variety at the TIME100 Next Gala on Thursday night, the actor said his priority is the work and that he wouldn’t have taken the job on otherwise. He added that he walks into the role with open eyes, fully aware of the broad range of reactions it would provoke.

“Harry Potter” star Paapa Essiedu says he “wouldn’t have taken this job on” if he couldn’t handle the Snape casting backlash: “Obviously, my priority is the work. I wouldn’t take this job on [otherwise], but I walk into it with open eyes. I understand the broad spectrum of what the reaction to what we’re doing means, and I take that mantle on with an open and full heart. I’ve also been blown away by a lot of the support and well-wishes and excitement.” https://t.co/dde9F8VTTv

— Variety (@Variety) October 30, 2026

Essiedu was also quick to credit the people around him. He told the outlet that the whole team has been supportive, a message that echoes earlier reports that HBO anticipated passionate reactions and put protections in place for its cast. At the gala, he was honored as one of Time’s 100 rising stars shaping the next generation of leadership.

His comments land at a delicate moment. Some fans objected because Snape is written as white in J.K. Rowling’s novels, while others crossed into outright racist abuse. The conversation around the casting has been uncomfortable from the start, and Essiedu has not shied away from addressing it.

Earlier this year, the actor told The Sunday Times of London that he had received racially motivated death threats over the role. He said the experience affected him emotionally, and that nobody should have to face that for doing their job. At the same time, he described the abuse as something that fuels him and makes him more determined to put his own stamp on the character.

Essiedu has also signed up for a long haul. He committed to the series for 10 years, noting he will be 45 by the time it finishes and that his life is going to change in a big way. That scale of commitment makes his calm approach to the early criticism easier to understand.

Not all of the response has been negative. Jason Isaacs, who played Lucius Malfoy in the original films, defended Essiedu at a Fan Expo Denver panel in July, calling him one of the best actors he has ever seen and saying critics who were being rude about him were being racist. Warwick Davis, who returns as Professor Flitwick, is part of the new ensemble too, linking the old films and the new series.

For his part, Essiedu has built a strong résumé, with credits that include ‘I May Destroy You’, ‘Black Mirror’ and ‘Gangs of London’. He’s also an Emmy-nominated actor with years of Shakespeare experience, which helps explain why HBO believed he could carry a role of this size.

THE NEW HBO’s HARRY POTTER TRAILER IS HERE Releasing this Christmas on HBO https://t.co/OvCm0Lz4bL

— Wizarding World Direct (@WW_Direct) September 2, 2026

Visually, the show has made a clear statement. HBO’s first-look image revealed Essiedu with shoulder-length dreadlocks and a more gothic style, trading Rickman’s buttoned-up robes for a zip-up leather jacket and an oversized black cloak. When Variety suggested his version looked more stylish, he grinned and said the aesthetic is important, adding that it was carefully developed with the costume department.

That attention to detail suggests the production is trying to make Snape feel like his own character rather than an imitation. It also shows confidence in the approach, since the series has already been renewed for a second season covering ‘Chamber of Secrets’.

Whether the audience embraces the new interpretation will become clear soon enough. For now, Essiedu seems focused on the performance itself, and his message is simple: the criticism may be loud, but he knew what he was signing up for.

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