Paapa Essiedu has spoken out about the backlash he received after he was cast as Professor Severus Snape in the new HBO TV adaptation of the Harry Potter books .

After Essiedu’s casting was announced in 2025 some online commenters claimed that he shouldn’t have been given the role as the fictional potions professor because he was written as white. He even received death threats, forcing HBO to beef up security while filming .

Speaking to Variety at the Time100 Next Gala this week about working on the series — the first installment of which is due out in December — Essiedu said, “The whole team has been so supportive of me.”

“Obviously, my priority is the work,” he continued. “I wouldn’t take this job on [otherwise], but I walk into it with open eyes. I understand the broad spectrum of what the reaction to what we’re doing means, and I take that mantle on with an open and full heart.…