Harry Potter star opens up about racist abuse and death threats since joining the TV adaptation

When Paapa Essiedu was cast in the upcoming Harry Potter TV series, a wave of racist abuse followed. 

The 35-year-old actor received death threats after it was announced that he was taking on the role of Professor Snape and he's spoken out about how it has affected him in an interview with The Times of London. 

"The reality is that if I look at Instagram I will see somebody saying, 'I'm going to come to your house and kill you'," he told the publication. 

"While I hope I'll be OK, nobody should have to encounter this for doing their job. Many people put their lives on the line in their work."

He continued, "I'm playing a wizard in Harry Potter, and I'd be lying if I said it doesn't affect me emotionally."

In the new series Essiedu will take on the role of the beloved Hogwarts professor, which was made famous by Alan Rickman. 

Rickman died in January 2016 at age 69, from pancreatic cancer. 

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Despite the backlash for his casting, Essiedu admitted the abuse "fuels" him and makes him more passionate about making the character his own in the TV adaptation. 

As someone who grew up reading the series by JK Rowling, he feels like it makes it more important to have his role in this series.

"I would imagine myself at Hogwarts on broomsticks, and the idea that a kid like me can see themselves represented in that 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," he said. 

Essiedu has also opted against reporting any of the death threats he's been getting since the news of his casting. 

He believes that sending some teenager to jail over murder threats won't make him feel any better, although he admits it's hard to ignore the comments. 

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Essiedu admitted that racist hate and vile comments of that nature are sadly nothing new for him. 

"At my school, racism, misogyny [and] homophobia were rife," he claimed to the outlet about his childhood. 

"I don't know if it was specific to my school, because in a dog-eat-dog world, teenagers will say anything to survive. But, to be honest, kids are often just a reflection of the society they're growing up in."

But regardless of the hate, he isn't letting it affect his experience filming the show.

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