Actor Jason Isaacs starred in the Harry Potter movie franchise as Lucius Malfoy. Now the iconic story is being retold once again, albeit for television, and with a new cast attached. One of these cast members, Paapa Essiedu, has been the subject of backlash for being a black actor playing Severus Snape, a character formerly played by white actor Alan Rickman. Now Jason Isaacs is calling out these “racist” Harry Potter fans in defense of Essiedu.
As mentioned, Alan Rickman previously played the part of Snape throughout every Harry Potter feature film, and some fans are hesitant about Paapa Essiedu playing the part. Of course, it’s going to be difficult for any actor to live up to Rickman, but Isaacs is confident that Essiedu is perfect for the role. He expressed as much while speaking with Collider at Fans Expo.
Here’s what Isaacs shared while discussing the actor and calling out the fans that have criticized his involvement:
“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,” Isaacs said. “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.”
Of course, this isn’t the only reason Essiedu has been a subject of conversation. He has also illustrated support for the transgender community, which Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling has consistently found herself at odds with in recent years. Some fans even suspected that Rowling would have Essiedu removed from the television series as a result of his support, though that has yet to happen and Rowling has been adamant that she wouldn’t have anyone fired for their personal beliefs.
The new Harry Potter television series is currently scheduled to premiere in 2026. Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional updates regarding this highly-anticipated project as we have them. It’s a big undertaking to once again adapt the iconic books by J.K. Rowling, especially after the feature films became such iconic works themselves, but we’ll have to see how this endeavor turns out.