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Harry Potter star Paapa Essiedu hit with vile death threats after controversial casting

Actor Paapa Esseidu has said racists told him: Quit or Ill murder you after he was cast as Severus Snape in the HBO series of JK Rowling's books

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Paapa Essiedu will play Snape in the new Harry Potter TV show

Harry Potter star Paapa Essiedu has received sick death threats after landing the role of Severus Snape in the new billion-dollar telly reboot.

The actor, 35, said racists told him: Quit or Ill murder you after he was cast in the HBO series - with some trolls outraged that a black actor is playing the surly wizard.

Essiedu, who is filming the show in Watford ahead of its 2027 release, said: The reality is that if I look at Instagram I will see somebody saying, Im going to come to your house and kill you.

Nobody should have to encounter this for doing their job.

The role of Snape was famously played by Alan Rickman in the blockbuster films alongside Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson.

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Essiedu has been cast as Severus Snape in the HBO reboot(Image: Getty Images)

Despite the vile messages, the Gangs of London actor refuses to be intimidated.

He added: Id be lying if I said it doesnt affect me emotionally. But the abuse fuels me.

And makes me more passionate about making this character my own.

The idea that a kid like me can see themselves represented in that world? Thats motivation.

He has not reported the threats, insisting it would not make him feel any better.

The star also spoke about growing up in east London, where racism, misogyny, homophobia were rife.

The new Potter series is already ruffling feathers.

Actor John Lithgow, 80, who plays Albus Dumbledore, admitted the storm around the show stung and made him consider quitting.

He faced calls to walk away over JK Rowlings views on trans rights but insisted he was perfectly ready for collisions of opinion.

The author, who serves as an executive producer, has been at the centre of fierce debate in recent years over her gender-critical stance.

But Lithgow defended the telly series, saying the Potter world is on the side of the angels, against intolerance and bigotry.

The big-budget TV series will hit screens in 2027, nearly 15 years after the final film.

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