Paapa Essiedu: Did Warner Bros. think the decision of casting this actor as Severus Snape through?

 Paapa Essiedu: Did Warner Bros. think the decision of casting this actor as Severus Snape through?

Hello readers, 

Today i wish to discuss a possibly controversial topic, that has taken to media over the last couple of months amongst harry Potter fans, as Paapa Essiedu was announced to be taking on the role of Severus Snape in the Upcoming retelling series for Harry Potter. The reason this is so controversial isn’t based on racism for me but rather adheres to how this series has been said to want to focus on a more accurate retelling of the Harry Potter Series. 

Racism VS the Description of Snape in the Books

Now before I get called names, lets look at the description used to describe Snape from my copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerors Stone. In the book the description we are provided with is “a Thin Man with Greasy Black Hair, A Hooked Nose and Sallow Skin” who often “wears a black cloak” given this description i am surprised warner bros would cast someone as attractive and muscular as Paapa Essiedu. It’s almost as if the description for the character was thrown out the window when casting this actor, who’s nose isn’t large or hooked and his skin isn’t yellowing or sickly looking(which mind you can be done by special effects and makeup) but keep in mind this will need to take up to 9 years of the actor working on this project on a daily basis, sitting a makeup chair and will cost money that can placed elsewhere for 7 seasons of this story. 

We all know the truth, after the films from countless documentaries, J.K. Rowling, despite her controversy, wanted Alan Rickman for Snape to the extent that Warner Bros. had to cast every other Hogwarts Professor around Rickman’s Age, which deferred from the books heavily. As the only inaccuracy of Rickman as Snape from the original films was in fact his age. 

In Book 1 Snape is said to be 31 years old, which is closer to Essiedu’s age of 34 as compared to Rickman who 55 when i obtained the role based on Rowling’s input and appearance alone. 

It would have been my decision if i were the casting the director to look at Actors who were closer in appearance to Rickman than Essiedu, many fans wanting Adam Driver who is currently 41 to take on the role of Snape, based on fan casting, but in agreeance I would have liked to see a younger actor perhaps a Kit Harrington who is 38 or a brand new actor take on the role of Snape, who was closer in a appearance based on the description of the character.

What does Essiedu’s casting mean for the other Characters beyond Book 1

In discussion about this character it has become clear that, this casting director is focused only on the first season and getting the characters casted, based on the first book and not looking forward into the the books past book 1.

Come Season 5 however, we have an issue that Warner Bros may not be forseeing. Snape has a relationship with Lily Evans and James Potter. By casting Essidu, this could have ramifications dishonoring the character of Lily and James, as lily would be choosing a white man over a black man and James being Snapes bully may be portrayed as a racist character for bullying snape. 

Of course the casting of Sirius Black come season 3 with a black actor may cause this to be skewed, but if Sirius is Black, does that mean the Malfoy’s, Bellatrix and Voldemort will also be portrayed by Black actors as well? 

This would impact all of the Death Eaters, given their role as Wizard Supremacist’s( an allegory for the great Evil/Naziism for most fans) and Racist characters within the anthology of Harry Potter. The mistake of making a decision like this is hard for any casting director, but are they sure about the ramifications of making all the death eaters( the main villains of the harry potter series) of African American Descent, is the show going to show Black people as evil in Harry Potter(which isn’t exactly, a healthy way to think about these characters) all because they casted the main anti-hero of the series with a black actor?

My Opinion: If not White or Black, as fans we would have been fine with any other race.

If we go back to the description of Snape, I believe it is possible for a Black Actor to take on the role however with these unforeseen ramifications, to the other possible characters, it may be something Warner Bros can think about. 

Perhaps Snape can be of Indian Descent: an Actor like Dev Patel would be a happy medium between a DEI casting and the description given, his many roles and range, as well as being 34 years old. 

Perhaps Snape could have been of Spanish Descent with an actor Like Pedro Pascal(49) or perhaps an actor like Daniel Bruhl(46) or Diego Luna(45) if they wished to cast a Spanish actor to the Role instead.

Snape may not have been specified in race, but based on the description with limited makeup many of these actors could take on the role to save the series from making a mistake this early on and getting a negative reception come season 5, when James, Sirius and the Marauders bully the young Snape. 

My Expectations for the Series

I am hoping HBO MAX/Warner Bros. has considered every alley when it comes to Harry Potter, because if this series is a failure based on this, there is no telling what will happen with the Potter Hype that has been so widely popular since the late 1990’s. If you want Audiences to think, the casting Director must also be thinking beyond season 1, this isn’t a Michael Gambon/ Richard Harris or Mad Mikkelson/Johnny Depp situation, where the actor for the series can be recast with such ease. Snape is a character who must remain the same, as he is the backbone of the entire Series. If the actor they choose for Snape Fails to meet his mark with fans, (especially my fellow Slytherins) they are dooming this series to failure. 

But only time will tell. 

I look forward to Jon Lithgow as Dumbledore, and Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagal, and look forward to more casting news. 

“Do what is right not what is easy”-Albus Dumbledore

What are your thoughts on this casting? Let me know .