Paapa Essiedu faces death threats after accepting role as Severus Snape
British actor and former *Harry* boy band member Paapa Essiedu has received death threats following his casting as Severus Snape in the new series, with sources reporting he was told to "quit" under threat of being murdered if refused a role that could have been life-changing for him at age 24.
Key Points
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1British actor Paapa Essiedu was cast as Professor Severus Snape for an upcoming television adaptation of 'Harry Potter'.
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2Essieu received race-based death threats following his casting announcement.
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3The specific threat included the demand that actors quit their roles or face murder.
Developments
Perspectives
Paapa Essiedu received death threats after being cast as Professor Severus Snape.
— (Perthnow.com.au)British actor Paapa Essiedu said that the online abuse he has faced since his casting in April made him 'more passionate'.
— (Independent.co.uk)Actor Paapa Essiedu received death threats after being cast in the Harry Potter TV series due to backlash against a Black actor playing Professor Snape. He stated that he has not reported these online abuse messages because it would likely have no effect on his feelings, yet they continue to motivate him for portraying an iconic character from childhood memories of reading about Hogwarts and broomsticks