It seems as though the Harry Potter TV saga can’t roll on for five seconds without a fresh furore, so here we are with another.
Mere weeks after HBO raised eyebrows by backing JK Rowling’s “right to express personal views”, the show is in the headlines once more.
Though not officiallyconfirmed, it was reported in Variety that Paapa Essiedu had been tipped to play Severus Snape – in fact, that he had “been offered” the role. And inevitably, that’s been met with a premature backlash. Some people want Adam Driver; other people have used it as an excuse to deluge social media with racist abuse.
Sigh. It all has echoes of the Cursed Child controversy, where Rowling was forced to step in and defend the casting of Noma Dumezweni as Hermione amid uproar from a certain section of the fanbase.
Alan Rickman’s acerbic Snape was an undoubted highlight of the original films. Endlessly sneering, with curtain hairdo and those terrifying black robes. Every time he appeared on screen, you knew Harry was in for a rough time.
But for the TV show every character is being recast, and there’s no point trying to do a facimile of Rickman or anyone else. Let’s see what another great actor can do with the part, in a totally different way.
Comedian Munya Chawawa summed it up well. “To be clear, it’s not racist to feel like Paapa shouldn’t be Snape… everyone’s entitled to their own opinion,” he said on Instagram recently, before going on: “You can’t help but feel for all the young black aspiring actors who might have seen those comments and thought, why bother? If the worst racism I’m ever going to experience is just for being mentioned next to a role, I don’t even want to think about what happens if I ever got the role.”
And people complaining about Essiedu’s potential appointment are missing a trick (excuse the pun). Because he is a remarkable actor, who is magnetic in every part he’s taken on, and would only elevate this TV show.
“Don’t give a f**k abt Harry Potter but Paapa Essiedu is one of the greatest Shakespearean actors to ever do it,” somebody wrote on Twitter after the news broke. “I’m here to tell you that Paapa Essiedu is the best actor I’ve ever witnessed on stage and we could only be so lucky,” another added.
They’re right. Essiedu is one of the UK’s best talents – and one that is still yet to receive the worldwide breakthrough that talent deserves. This is probably because he started his career – and developed it – in the theatre, with the Royal Shakespeare Company.
As early as 2016, he won the Ian Charleston award for his take on Hamlet, which the judges observed the crowd watched “completely still.”
"Like all great actors", they added, he "made all the lines his own". In recent years, he’s been tipped to play James Bond, been nominated for several awards (including a Bafta and an Evening Standard Theatre Award) and appeared in killer shows like I May Destroy You, Black Mirror and Gangs of London.
Plus, is there any more Shakespearean character in the entire Harry Potter franchise than Snape?
His outsider status, resentment of Harry and secret love for Harry’s mother – revealed in his final moments during the last book – all combine to make him one of Harry Potter’s most tragic characters, and one of its biggest heroes. For the duration of the books’ publication, he was reviled; now the fans love him.
The role demands a great actor: Rickman was one, certainly, but Essiedu has that combination of steeliness and pathos that would make him an excellent Snape, too.
“All we can do in these situations is be supportive and encouraging,” Chawawa added in his Instagram stories. “Even if you think Paapa wouldn’t be the best fit, we can at least just gas him up for even being considered for such an iconic part.”
Gas him up, certainly – but if he gets the role, he’ll certainly deliver on it too. It’s time for a totally different take on Snape, and Essiedu is the perfect choice.
