One of the stars of the "Harry Potter" HBO show is opening up about the racist abuse and death threats he has received since being cast.
Paapa Essiedu, who is set to play Severus Snape in HBO's upcoming "Harry Potter" series, said in an interview with The Times published March 21 that since his casting was announced, he has "been told, 'Quit or I'll murder you.'"
"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 said, adding, "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. I'm playing a wizard in 'Harry Potter.' And I'd be lying if I said it doesn't affect me emotionally."
"But the abuse fuels me," he said. "And makes me more passionate about making this character my own, because I think of how I felt as a kid. 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."
When asked if he has reported any of the death threats, Essiedu said, "No. I don't think some 17-year-old boy being put in jail for two weeks for threatening to murder me would actually make me feel any better."
