‘Harry Potter’ Series Star Paapa Essiedu Says He’s Received Death Threats Over Snape Casting: ‘I’ve Been Told, “Quit or I’ll Murder You”’ https://t.co/TNkf6iQk2H
— Variety (@Variety) March 21, 2026
On receiving death threats: “It really matters. 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.”
“[It] 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.”
On why he signed a letter to support trans people (at the original source): “My points of view are mine and will continue to be so. 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. … [If] that was the reason I got kicked off this job, then it wouldn’t be a project I’d want to work on anyway.”
