Harry Potter Series: Paapa Essiedu Reveals He Faced Death Threats After Being Cast As Professor Severus Snape

Actor Paapa Essiedu (Black Mirror and I May Destroy You) is being cast to play Professor Severus Snape in HBO‘s upcoming Harry Potter series. Alan Rickman played Snape in the Harry Potter films. In an interview, Essiedu revealed receiving death threats over his casting as Snape in HBO's show.

Paapa Essiedu on receiving death threats after being cast in Harry Potter series

Opening up about getting death threats, Essiedu told The Sunday Times of London, “I’ve been told, ‘Quit or I’ll murder you’...It really matters.”

The actor revealed that when he looks at Instagram, he sees 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,” Essiedu added.

Abuse makes Essiedu more passionate about work

The online abuse fuels Essiedu and makes him more passionate about making the character his own, because as a kid, he would imagine himself 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 has joined Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger, John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid, Luke Thallon as Quirinus Quirrell and Paul Whitehouse as Argus Filch, among others, in the series.

The series is written and executive-produced by Francesca Gardiner, with Mark Mylod directing several episodes. It will be released in early 2027.