Harry Potter TV series already face intense scrutiny even before their release as they stir up one controversy after another.
The HBO series has reportedly significantly increased its security after Ghanaian-English actor Paapa Essiedu, who plays Professor Severus Snape, received serious threats over casting.
The actor received death threats for playing Rogue, and series creator Casey Bloys said so Variety that “avid fans” of the series can become “creepy in places.”
He continued, “So for any show like that, we anticipated it and tried to have training, you know, best practices in terms of social media and how to handle it. And obviously we have a serious security team. So unfortunately, that was something that we thought might happen and we’re just trying to be as careful as possible.”
Essiedu took over the famous role played by Alan Rickman in the original films set at Hogwarts, and a black actor taking on the role sparked huge debate.
Previously discussing online hate in an interview, the actor recalled: “I was told, ‘Stop, or I’ll murder you.’ The reality is, if I look at Instagram, I see someone saying, “I’m going to come to your house and kill you.”
Although Essiedu did not legally report any of the messages he received, he strongly condemned the action, stating that no one should fear for their life simply because of their work.
