Paapa Essiedu has said he doesn’t want to talk about JK Rowling “at all” as he and his co-stars continue to face difficult questions about their casting in the new Harry Potter series.
Essiedu, 36, is set to play Severus Snape in the forthcoming HBO show, taking on the role from the late Alan Rickman who played the severe Hogwarts professor in all eight films in the franchise.
His casting, alongside that of his co-stars, including John Lithgow, Bel Powley, Warwick Davis, and Kit Harington, has drawn criticism from people questioning the actors’ positions on trans rights, given their involvement in a project led by JK Rowling. In recent years, the bestselling author has been very outspoken with her controversial views on gender identity, which critics have deemed to be transphobic, a label that she has rejected.
After his casting in the series was announced last year, Essiedu was among the hundreds of TV and film professionals who signed an open letter calling for industry action on trans rights just two weeks after the controversial UK Supreme Court ruling that defines a woman based on biological sex – a decision that Rowling had celebrated on social media.
The author later addressed his signing of the letter on X, writing: “I don’t have the power to sack an actor from the series and I wouldn’t exercise it if I did. I don’t believe in taking away people’s jobs or livelihoods because they hold legally protected beliefs that differ from mine.”
Asked about the author in a new interview with Vanity Fair, Essiedu responded: “I have been super clear about my position on this topic, and that is the reason why she spoke out about me.”
He continued: “I’m really keen not to make a kind of ‘them and us’ dynamic here. I’m not really here to speak about Jo’s politics or to be a mouthpiece for her. I can only be really, really clear about what I believe and be consistent with that.”
Pressed on the question of what he does believe, the actor insisted: “I don’t want to talk about Jo at all.”
He went on, however, to clarify his stance, stating: “I believe, in my bones, that trans people, queer people, people of all creeds and colour have got the right to be treated with respect and dignity and safety at all times – whether they’re in the workplace, whether they’re at home or in the street, whatever.
“That’s what I believe, and that’s the way that I choose to live my life. That’s the creed by which I live.”
Critics have pointed out that Rowling, as a producer and the creator of the source material, will financially profit from the forthcoming series – and has previously used her money to fund causes pushing for changes in legislation that LGBTQ+ groups say restrict trans rights.
She has, for example, been a vocal and financial supporter of For Women Scotland, having previously donated £70,000 to the campaign group, which advocates for women’s sex-based rights and single-sex spaces.
Elsewhere in the interview, Essiedu addressed the racist backlash he has received following his casting. In March, he revealed that he’d received death threats.
“There’s some people who are just like, ‘I’ve done my research, and I know what kind of actor you are, and you suck.’ And they’re totally entitled to their opinion,” he told the publication. “Then there are the people who are like, ‘You are bad because you are Black’ – which, to me, is racist. Well, actually not ‘You’re bad because you are Black.’ But there is a racially driven animosity.”
Last month, the actor said he has been blown away by the support of his team on the show.
The series, which is due out on Christmas Day this year, is expected to run for a decade, with each season based on one of the seven Rowling books. The books follow the story of 11-year-old Harry Potter as he learns of his acceptance to Hogwarts, the esteemed school of witchcraft and wizardry, and his attempts to defeat the evil Lord Voldemort.
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