Jason Isaacs, who played Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter movies, is speaking up in support of Pappa Essiedu, who will play Severus Snape in HBO's upcoming Harry Potter TV show. Isaacs has some strong words against the haters!
The Harry Potter HBO series is taking shape, and questions abound about how it’s going to work. After all, Warner Bros already made a terrific eight-movie saga based on J.K. Rowling’s best-selling novels. That we need a reboot at all seems unnecessary, but HBO is trying.
The cast is taking shape, with the key roles of Harry, Hermione, Ron, Dumbledore, and others filled. I May Destroy You star Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, the potions master known for his sardonic demeanor. Snape was played in the movies by the late, great Alan Rickman, who many feel deserved an Oscar nomination for his work. He made Snape a wicked character at times, but also sympathetic as his tragic backstory came to light.
The casting of Essiedu has been met with some controversy. On one hand, at 35 he’s actually closer in age to what Snape should be in the books, while Rickman was 55 when he started in the role and 65 when he finished it.
But there has been a backlash from a toxic part of the fandom who are against casting a Black actor in the role. There are also those concerned that casting a Black actor has unfortunate implications when it comes to Snape's backstory, which involves being bullies by the Marauders.
Thankfully, Essiedu has a great backer on his side in the form of another famous Harry Potter villain!
What did Jason Isaacs say about Paapa Essiedu?
During a panel moderated by Collider at FanExpo Denver, Jason Isaacs, who played Lucius Malfoy in the movies, joked about how his daughter has a friend involved with the show’s casting but refuses to share details. “What a waste of university money,” he quipped.
Isaacs got more serious when it came to discussing the backlash against Essiedu. “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," he 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.”
Isaacs isn’t the first one to discuss the backlash against Esseidu. He’s also right about the fans who are already judging the new show before a single frame of it has been filmed.
It’s natural that fans will compare Essiedu to Rickman, a one-of-a-kind actor who left us too soon. It’s also logical to wonder how he could bring Snape to life. But the attacks on him have been out of proportion with those concerns.
Hopefully, many will listen to Isaacs and give Essiedu a chance to make Snape his own. And hopefully the Harry Potter series can be as magical as the books.
The Harry Potter movies streaming on HBO Max.
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