The Harry Potter TV Show Casting Is Getting Messy

Earlier this April, Max announced the first wave of cast members joining its big-budget television adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, including John Lithgow as Dumbledore, Nick Frost as Hagrid, and Paapa Essiedu as Snape. The draw of the series, which will reiterate the events of books and movies that came out not that long ago, is that it is purportedly committed to “being authentic to the original books.” (That better mean we get Ludo Bagman in the Goblet of Fire season.) While no one is balking at Lithgow, an American actor, playing the beloved Hogwarts headmaster, a wave of angry comments have popped up across various HBO socials, where fans of the book are protesting Essiedu’s casting. Is it because he’s too young? Too hot? Unfortunately, there’s one significant change to the character that they’ve honed in on.

The first comment on a Max post about The Last of Us? “Snape is white.” A different comment on a “coming soon to HBO” post? “Adam Driver for Snape, please,” followed by the Brazilian flag. Rehearsal preview? “Recast Snape.” Celtics documentary teaser? “Please listen to fans from all over the world. Respect Snape and Recast.” (Respect … Snape?) Companion is now streaming on Max? “#fixsnape”

The case against Essiedu has spread to TikTok and Reddit, where the most articulate of complainers have tried to explain why casting a Black actor for Snape has opened up a number of cans of worms in the new show. “I actually am not really bothered by this new Hollywood trend of race-swapping actors at all. A black Commissioner Gordon in Batman, Nick Fury in the MCU etc were all casting choices I fully supported. With Snape however, I feel it is a different situation … Snape being portrayed by a black actor I think has potential for several of Snape’s decisions and experiences to now be attributed to racial issues instead of simply who he is,” wrote one user, later comparing the casting to the idea of making Ryan Gosling the Black Panther.

There’s a case to be made, perhaps, that changing Snape’s race may turn James Potter’s animosity against him in their youth into something more racially charged as opposed to mere schoolyard bullying. Snape’s politics within the books are also somewhat close-minded, as he both derides and admires Harry’s mother, Lily, who is a Mudblood. Race exists in Harry Potter and the wizarding world, but we’ve yet to really see how it otherwise applies to the global concept of race. All of that might be worth exploring in the show, but that’s not the case being made in the Instagram comments, which continue to emphasize the importance of Snape’s whiteness. (A handful of comments have also included the Brazilian flag, which I can only assume means there should be a Brazilian Snape, which, I’m listening.)

The forthcoming Harry Potter series is already fraught with controversy given Rowling’s continued attacks on the trans community, and the campaign against Essiedu isn’t exactly making the whole enterprise feel especially worthwhile. If the show is losing fans who have turned on Rowling as well as fans who have stood by Rowling but want different casting, who will be left to watch? Though spamming social media has rarely changed the trajectory of a television show — remember Anne With an E? — maybe it’s not too late for Essiedu or other actors thinking about hopping off the broomstick.

Related

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• Harry Potter Hires Its Hogwarts Professors
• Is Paapa Essiedu Too Hot to Play Severus Snape?