Harry Potter film star Jason Isaacs has slammed some reactions to the casting of the new TV series as “racist.” There are few stories quite as iconic as Harry Potter. The books spawned a multi-billion dollar film franchise, its own theme park at Universal Studios, video games, spin-offs, and more. These seven books created a whole brand that has thrived for years. The films really created a visual language for the Wizarding World by helping fans visualize the characters, the aesthetic of the world, and more. It’s hard to imagine Hogwarts as anything other than what we saw in the films, not to mention how it was all paired with a brilliant score.
So, when the TV show got announced, it was bound to have some negative reactions no matter what because the bar was so high. The cast of the Harry Potter TV series has been confirmed and it’s made up of a diverse group of actors. Some took issue with American actor John Lithgow playing Dumbledore, but the one that is really creating some controversy is the casting of Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape. Of course, actor Alan Rickman left a massive impression on audiences with his take on the shady Hogwarts professor so these were always big shoes to fill, but some people have taken issue with the show casting a black actor in the role.
Harry Potter Star Jason Isaacs Slams Racist Reactions to New TV Series Cast
When speaking on a panel at FanExpo Denver (via Collider), former Lucius Malfoy actor Jason Isaacs spoke out about his thoughts on the casting. He offered immense praise for not only Paapa Essiedu, but the entire new Harry Potter cast and noted he has nothing but faith in the creative team helming the show. In the case of Essiedu, Isaacs noted that some of the reactions to his casting are “racist.”
“Paapa Essiedu is one of the best actors I’ve ever seen in my life,” said Isaacs. “I’ve seen some people online who are being rude about him. What they’re being is racist. […] 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.”
The Harry Potter TV series is expected to begin shooting this summer with plans to air on HBO sometime next year. As of right now, we have no idea what Paapa Essiedu is planning to do with the character. Whether he has a completely different take from what Rickman did is up in the air. Author JK Rowling did praise the early Harry Potter scripts, so it seems like the series is heading in a positive direction. We’ll have a better idea of how the series compares and contrasts to the film when the show airs.
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