The new HBO Harry Potter series invites fans back to Hogwarts this December with a fresh set of faces playing fan-favorite characters. Apart from the main trio playing Harry, Hermione and Ron, the rest of the cast features actors with impressive résumés, including Paapa Essiedu, who plays Professor Severus Snape.
The British actor has, unfortunately, faced racism and cruel scrutiny online after his casting was announced. However, as he told The Times during a March 2026 interview, “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,” Essiedu explained. “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.”
Nevertheless, Essiedu noted that the racism “really matters” because “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.’”
“But, yes, while I hope I’ll be OK, nobody should have to encounter this for doing their job,” he pointed out. “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.”
Below, News47.us has rounded up a few facts about Essiedu you need to know as we await the release of HBO’s Harry Potter series.
Essiedu has been a Harry Potter book fan since he was a kid, but he never watched the movie franchise starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint.
