Paapa Essiedu, 34, breaks silence on HBO Harry Potter casting amid ‘race-swap’ backlash to Severus Snape role
Actor Paapa Essiedu has spoken out for the first time since being cast as Severus Snape in the upcoming HBO Harry Potter adaption along with five other stars.
The 34-year-old actor’s casting has divided fans, with some blasting the US production for supposedly ‘race-swapping’ the character.
Essiedu, known for I May Destroy You and Black Mirror, will play the Hogwarts potion master and eventual series antihero, often considered author JK Rowling’s Byronic hero.
The role was previously brought to life by the late actor Alan Rickman in the original film adaptions.
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Confirmed alongside Essiedu were Luke Thallon as Professor Quirinus Quirrell and five-time Bafta winner Paul Whitehouse as the wizarding school’s caretaker Argus Filch.
American actor John Lithgow, who won an Emmy for his role as Winston Churchill in The Crown, will play Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore.
British star Janet McTeer will take on the role of Professor Minerva McGonagall while comedian Nick Frost has landed the fan-favourite role of gamekeeper Rubeus Hagrid.
Taking to Instagram, Essiedu shared a collage pic of himself and his confirmed co-stars.
“An honour and a privilege to be going on this journey with these legends,” he began. “We shall eat and we shall leave no crumbs.”
“See you at Hogwarts,” the actor concluded, signing off as: “Professor Snape x.”
The news of Essiedu’s casting has been met with divide, with some fearing he does not match the description of the character from JK Rowling’s legendary books.
Rowling envisioned Snape as a “thin man with greasy, shoulder-length black hair, a large hooked nose, sallow skin, and cold, black eyes.”
Fans were quick to share their reaction to the casting on social media, with the Harry Potter Universe fan account blasting the move to its 464k followers.
“What a massive disappointment. Paapa Essiedu has officially been cast as Severus Snape in the Harry Potter TV series, as announced today by HBO,” they began.
What a massive disappointment.
Paapa Essiedu has officially been cast as Severus Snape in the Harry Potter TV series, as announced today by HBO.
The creators of the show, including J.K. Rowling, said that the TV series would be a faithful adaptation of the books. Snape is… pic.twitter.com/4lyMtie18j
— Harry Potter Universe (@HPotterUniverse) April 14, 2025
“The creators of the show, including J.K. Rowling, said that the TV series would be a faithful adaptation of the books. They haven’t even started filming this TV series and they have already ruined it. So much for this being a ‘faithful adaptation’ of the books,” the account savaged.
“This forceful inclusion is madness,” another fan despaired.
A third exclaimed: “This kills any excitement I have about the series. It’s not about race, racism, woke…nothing. It’s about the showrunners p*****g on the source material like it doesn’t matter. What else will they ‘change’? This ain’t it.”
Despite the backlash, others expressed their excitement at Essiedu landing the role.
Responding to the actor’s own Instagram statement, one added: “That’s right brother. What a cast. Cannot wait to see you as Snape!”
“I’ve literally never been more excited in my entire life,” another glowed.
A third wrote on X: “Paapa Essiedu is going to shock the world with how well he portrays Snape. Already calling it.”
“This is the ONLY way to give a new life to this character! Alan Rickman DEVOURED this role! Anybody’s casting would draw comparisons… at least now, Paapa Essiedu can add a layer of dimension and nuance to Snape,” a fourth analysed. (sic)