‘Harry Potter’ star Paapa Essiedu says he received death threats after being cast as Snape in HBO series

"I don’t 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"

Paapa Essiedu, who is set to star as Severus Snape in HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter series, has said he received death threats over his casting.

• READ MORE: Paapa Essiedu just wants to tell proper stories: “Being the lead isn’t the be all and end all”

In a new interview with The Times, he recalled being told: “Quit or I’ll murder you”. The trolling followed the announcement that he’d be stepping into the role of the morally dubious professor, who was previously played by the late Alan Rickman.

On being confronted with the vitriolic, racist hate, he said: “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.”

He continued to say the “abuse” fuelled his work, and made him more passionate about the project going forward.

“I think of how I felt as a kid,” he 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.”

When asked if he could just choose to stay off social media, he responded: “But even if you successfully ignore it, it doesn’t mean it’s not happening. The issue remains endemic and, anyway, people see stuff and message to ask if I’m OK.” He added of potentially reporting the threats: “No. I don’t 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.”

Similarly, his co-star John Lithgow, who will play Dumbledore, recently said he considered quitting the show over the backlash he received due to author J.K. Rowling’s anti-trans views.

He and other cast members, such as Hagrid actor Nick Frost, have received criticism for appearing in the show, given J.K. Rowling‘s public hostility toward the transgender community.

Essiedu himself has made headlines for his opposition to Rowling’s views, and was among a community of over 400 who signed a petition calling for the UK entertainment industry to protect trans rights.

“My points of view are mine and will continue to be so,” Essiedu said. “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.”