Incoming Snape actor Paapa Essiedu has faced a number of racist death threats since he joined the blockbuster series adaptation of Harry Potter.
“I’ve been told, ‘Quit or I’ll murder you,’” he recalled of the targeted vitriol in a new interview with The Times U.K.
Taking up the wand from the late Alan Rickman as the morally gray potions professor Severus Snape, the I May Destroy You breakout will occupy the role for a decade, per Warner Bros. Television‘s aims for the serialized project.
“Yes, this is a big commitment,” he said. “I’ll be 45 by the time I finish 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.”
Having grown up with J.K. Rowling‘s fantasy novels, Essiedu said he viewed the books as providing “escapism.” Now, the hateful comments about his casting motivate him further, he noted.
“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. 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.”
He continued, “But 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? 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.”
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.” He added of potentially reporting the threats: “No. 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.”
Though the Olivier-nominated actor said he opted to join the cast of the HBO Max adaptation because of the source material’s themes of “love triumphing over hate — of acceptance,” Essiedu has also made headlines for his public opposition to Rowling’s strident anti-trans views. The stage actor was among a community of over 400 who signed a petition calling for the U.K. entertainment industry 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.”
The Harry Potter series is set to launch next year.
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