{"id":2341161,"date":"2026-03-22T18:32:45","date_gmt":"2026-03-22T18:32:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2341161"},"modified":"2026-03-22T18:32:45","modified_gmt":"2026-03-22T18:32:45","slug":"harry-potter-tv-star-addresses-racist-online-abuse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/harry-potter-tv-star-addresses-racist-online-abuse\/","title":{"rendered":"Harry Potter TV Star Addresses Racist Online ‘Abuse’\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\n

Paapa Essiedu <\/b>says that he received an onslaught of allegedly racist and violent criticism shortly after it was announced he would be playing Snape in the upcoming Harry Potter <\/i>series<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt really matters. The reality is that if I look at Instagram I will see somebody saying, \u2018I\u2019m going to come to your house and kill you,\u201d Essiedu, 35, told The Times of London<\/i><\/span><\/a> <\/i>in a Saturday, March 21, profile. \u201cWhile I hope I\u2019ll be OK, nobody should have to encounter this for doing their job. Many people put their lives on the line in their work.\u201d<\/p>\n

He continued, \u201cI\u2019m playing a wizard in Harry Potter<\/i>, and I\u2019d be lying if I said it doesn\u2019t affect me emotionally.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the new series, Essiedu is set to play the beloved Hogwarts professor, a role made famous by Alan Rickman. <\/b>(Rickman died in January 2016<\/a> at age 69.)<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

\n\t\t\t
\n Related: <\/span>Everyone Cast in HBO’s ‘Harry Potter’ TV Show and Who They’re Playing<\/span><\/a>
\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n\t\t\tSeveral famous faces will be heading to Hogwarts in HBO\u2019s upcoming Harry Potter TV show. Nearly two years after the series was first announced, John Lithgow confirmed the rumor that he would portray Albus Dumbledore in the small-screen adaptation of J.K. Rowling\u2019s beloved book series. \u201cIt was not an easy decision because it\u2019s going to [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cThe abuse fuels me, and makes me more passionate about making this character my own because I think of how I felt as a kid,\u201d Essiedu stated to the outlet of the online trolls. \u201cI would imagine myself at Hogwarts on broomsticks, and the idea that a kid like me can see themselves represented in that world? That\u2019s motivation to not be intimidated by someone saying they\u2019d rather I died instead of doing work I\u2019m going to be really proud of.\u201d<\/p>\n

The actor, however, has opted against reporting any of the death threats he received for his Harry Potter <\/i>casting<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t 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,\u201d he said, while acknowledging it is difficult to ignore the comments in the first place. \u201cEven if you successfully ignore it, it doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s not happening. The issue remains endemic and, anyway, people see stuff and message to ask if I\u2019m OK.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\"Alan-Rickman-Harry-Potter-MCDHAPO_EC632\"<\/div>

\n Alan Rickman as Snape in 2007\u2019s \u2018Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.\u2019<\/span> Warner Bros.\/courtesy of Everett Collection<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Essiedu further revealed that dealing with racist hate is, unfortunately, nothing new for the actor.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt my school, racism, misogyny [and] homophobia were rife,\u201d he claimed to the outlet about his childhood. \u201cI don\u2019t know if it was specific to my school, because in a dog-eat-dog world, teenagers will say anything to survive. But, to be honest, kids are often just a reflection of the society they\u2019re growing up in.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\n