The HBO Sorting Hat has spoken and Potterheads are not pleased with its choice for Severus Snape.
Deadline recently announced that British actor Paapa Essiedu, 34, is finalizing his deal to play Professor Severus Snape in HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter series, a role previously occupied by the late Alan Rickman.
But instead of excitement, the news has sparked an avalanche of controversy across the fandom, much of which is coming from Black fans, who are less than thrilled with the “diversity casting.”
Now, to be clear, fans have no problem with Essiedu, most agree he’s an incredibly talented actor.
However, per the Harry Potter books and films, Severus Snape, a brooding Potions Master at Hogwarts, is supposed to be far from traditionally attractive, and Essiedu, star of Gangs of London and The Lazarus Project is u is undeniably handsome.
Snape is also described as a “thin man with sallow skin, a large, hooked nose, and yellow, uneven teeth. He has shoulder-length, greasy black hair which frames his face, and cold, black eyes.” To match this, HBO would likely have Essiedu wear heavy makeup or prosthetics, a move many fans see as wildly contrived.
Additionally, Essiedu is Black. While Severus Snape’s race was never a defining trait, fans argue that this changes key moments in the story, like James Potter bullying a Black kid in the ‘70s, which is very problematic and completely alters the dynamics of the James/Lily/Snape storyline.
And let’s not forget who Snape is at his core: a deeply flawed anti-hero with a history of prejudice and cruelty. He’s the guy who joined a wizard version of the KKK (hello, Death Eaters) and spent years tormenting students as a professor.
So casting a Black actor in this role adds another layer of complexity because why would a Black man align himself with a group that embodies pure-blood supremacy? It’s a question that has left fans, especially Black Potterheads scratching their heads, wondering what HBO was thinking.
It’s a NO for me as black girl who grew up loving HP this is not the casting. Snape was a death eater. Think about him being a Black Death eating think about it. https://t.co/Yv2I0mMRSf pic.twitter.com/xqMmefObm8
— ShilsWonderJedi✴︎ Reading The Vampire Chronicles (@Shilskenobi22) March 7, 2025
and
Making Snape a black man is one of the worst things ever. One of the many fictional characters that should’ve stayed white.
— ???? (@SPEEDRCER) March 7, 2025
and
Gonna see a white man bullying a black man not only bc of lil house rivalry but bc he was close to A WHITE WOMAN!
Very 1950s coded of you, JK.
— ???? (@SPEEDRCER) March 7, 2025
and
the wizard warriors are about to dig up slurs we haven’t heard since the 1800s. a cataclysmic misstep from his team. there’s nothing good that could ever come from having a black actor play an infamous bully like snape, not in this digital fandom climate. https://t.co/oPfbjg9ekq
— ayan. (@artan_ayan) March 7, 2025
and
This is so exceptionally stupid. Please stop with the race swapping of everything for the sake of diversity. In the case of Snape, making him black literally changes the subtext of his entire story! https://t.co/a00tS7z9z0
— Corey Walker (@CoreyWriting) March 7, 2025
and
“The books LITERALLY describe what he is supposed to look like. Whatever, dude. They’ve ruined nearly every artistically canon thing from my childhood already. What’s one more?” Reddit user @Tricky-Cod-7485 wrote.
However, some fans are excited to see how Essiedu brings this new version of Snape to life and hope HBO will go the extra mile to shield him from the inevitable wave of racism from diehard fans.
im like in agony over this Snape casting, because now a talented black actor has been handed a project no one wants and will be at the brunt of racist harassment all for a show that will be forgotten and cancelled after 2 seasons in the best case scenario
— strawberry in love ???? (@honeybunwife) March 7, 2025
and
Hope the network and studios are prepared to protect that Black actor playing Snape… pic.twitter.com/damIiDEzIa
— LaDarrion Williams (@ItsLaDarrion) March 7, 2025
This casting puts both Essiedu and HBO in a tricky position. His portrayal doesn’t match Snape’s original description, which has already sparked intense discussions.
Some fans are upset about the race change, while others have already distanced themselves from the franchise due to J.K. Rowling and aren’t coming back regardless.
But will this controversy actually turn off mainstream audiences? That remains to be seen, but as of now, probably not. One thing’s for sure, though: this won’t be the last Harry Potter casting debate.
With Hermione almost certainly set to be cast as Black, that conversation will soon shift to a child actor. This is only the beginning of what’s shaping up to be the longest decade in Potter history.
