Harry Potter star Paapa Essiedu has admitted he doesn’t “want to talk about” the franchise’s creator JK Rowling, ahead of starring in a new TV series based on the author’s books.
Essiedu is currently gearing up for the release of the first season of the new Harry Potter show, in which he’s set to play Hogwarts’ Potions professor Severus Snape, a role previously portrayed on screen by Alan Rickman.
The series has already been met with backlash from some critics, due to Rowling’s involvement as an executive producer.
Rowling has become a controversial figure in recent years due to her ongoing commentary and actions relating to the transgender community, and when Essiedu co-signed an open letter calling for great protection for trans actors in the entertainment industry last year, this was met with a strong reaction due to his involvement in Harry Potter.
Following this, Rowling wrote on X, in response to a suggestion she “won’t have [him] sacked” despite their differing views: “I don’t have the power to sack an actor from the series and I wouldn’t exercise it if I did.”
“I don’t believe in taking away people’s jobs or livelihoods because they hold legally protected beliefs that differ from mine,” she added.
When asked about this saga by Vanity Fair, Essiedu said that he’s previously been “super clear about my position on this topic” claiming this was the reason that Rowling “spoke out about me”.
“I’m really keen not to make a kind of ‘them and us’ dynamic here,” he continued. “I’m not really here to speak about Jo’s politics or to be a mouthpiece for her. I can only be really, really clear about what I believe and be consistent with that.”
After reiterating that he doesn’t “want to talk about Jo at all”, he said: “I believe, in my bones, that trans people, queer people, people of all creeds and colour have got the right to be treated with respect and dignity and safety at all times – whether they’re in the workplace, whether they’re at home or in the street, whatever.
“That’s what I believe, and that’s the way that I choose to live my life. That’s the creed by which I live.”
Speaking to Time magazine about Harry Potter last month, the British actor said: “People have got a lot of feelings about this, and obviously everyone’s got the right to their own opinions about whatever.
“For me, really, I concentrate on the job at hand, which is to give as much humanity, as much depth, dimensions, layers, complexity to a character that has a lot of that, you know?
“That is my job – and it’s a privilege and it’s an honour to do it. And I look forward to being able to do it for a long time now.”
Essiedu previously disclosed that he’d already been bombarded with racist death threats following the news that he was due to play Snape in Harry Potter, a character who has previously been depicted as white in other adaptations.
He told The Times last year: “The idea that a kid like me can see themselves represented in [the Harry Potter] world? That’s motivation to not be intimidated by someone saying they’d rather I died instead of doing work I’m going to be really proud of.”
