Image via Wikimedia Commons / JaceMerlyn, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Essiedu is pictured on the TV BAFTA red carpet in May 2026.
Paapa Essiedu has spoken out about playing Severus Snape in HBO's upcoming Harry Potter series, saying he would not have taken the job if he could not handle the reaction to his casting. The actor addressed the issue at the TIME100 Next Gala in New York on Thursday, 29 October, where he was honoured among Time's rising stars, after HBO released the first-look image of him as Snape.
Essiedu told Variety that the aesthetic of his Snape matters, grinning at the suggestion that his version is the more stylish one, and stressed that his priority is the work. He has previously told The Sunday Times of London that racially motivated death threats over the casting have "fuelled" him to make the character his own. "The whole team has been so supportive of me," he said, adding: "I'm really proud of what I've seen so far."
The new series is a fresh adaptation rather than a remake of the films, and Essiedu's Snape is expected to differ from Alan Rickman's celebrated film portrayal. That distinction is central to the casting debate: long-time fans are comparing a familiar screen image with a new television interpretation, while HBO is positioning the show as a major streaming event. Warner Bros. executives have described it as the "streaming event of the decade".
Harry Potter series release date and where to watch
Season 1 adapts Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and will debut on HBO Max on 25 December 2026. That Christmas Day launch puts the series in front of a festive audience and gives viewers a clear date to plan around. For television fans, it follows a busy week of small-screen news, including Beyond the Gates capturing four Daytime Emmy trophies, and it continues a run of high-profile casting stories led by established television performers such as Kavan Smith, whose long television career spans fantasy and drama.
What happens next is the first full trailer and the remaining casting reveals, which will show how much of the wider wizarding world the first season covers. For now, Essiedu's message is clear: the backlash has not put him off, and he is proud of the work already filmed.
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