Jason Isaacs Calls Out ‘Racist’ Critics Being ‘Rude’ About Paapa Essiedu’s Snape Casting
Jason Isaacs; Paapa Essiedu - Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images; Gareth Cattermole/Getty ImagesJason Isaacs slammed fans criticizing the casting ofPaapa Essieduas Severus Snape in the upcomingHarry Potterseries.
When speaking during a panel at FanExpo Denver moderated by Collider’s Maggie Lovitt, Isaacs called out the racism fueling the backlash over the casting. “Paapa Essiedu is one of the best actors I’ve ever seen in my life. I’ve seen some people online who are being rude about him. What they’re being is racist,” said the Hogwarts alum. “All the cast of the new Harry Potter TV series are amazing. They will be swallowing their tongues, hopefully — you know, their digital tongues — when they see what [Paapa] does on screen.”
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AdvertisementAdvertisement#«Rmekkr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframe AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R16ekkr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframeIssacs, who played Lucius Malfoy in the original Harry Potter film franchise, praised the new generation set to star in the upcoming Harry Potter reboot television series.“The show is being made by the same people who made the films, and they’re just taking the time to make each book into a whole season — and it’s going to be great,” said Issacs.
Following the announcement that Essiedu would play Snape in theHBOdrama, some fans wondered if the casting would be at odds with J.K. Rowling, who is involved with the series. In the decades since the original book series and feature films, Rowling has espoused her anti-trans rhetoric on social media, which has prompted even actors from the film series to speak out against the author.
In May, Essiedu and over 400 others in the film industry, includingFantastic Beasts’Eddie Redmayne,signed an open letter condemning the U.K. Supreme Court for ruling that the definition of a woman is based on biological sex and that transgender women are not included within that legal definition.
Rowling celebrated the anti-trans ruling, and addressed speculation surrounding Essiedu’s casting. “I don’t have the power to sack an actor from the series, and I wouldn’t exercise it if I did,” Rowlingposted on X. “I don’t believe in taking away people’s jobs or livelihoods because they hold legally protected beliefs that differ from mine.”
AdvertisementAdvertisement#«Rrekkr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframe AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R1bekkr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframeIn May, anHBOexecutive assured fans of theHarry Potterfranchise thatthe reboot serieswill not be “infused” withJ.K. Rowling’s anti-trans beliefs, despite the author’s hands-on involvement with the show.
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