Harry Potter is an international sensation, with the books, movies, theme parks, and endless merchandise not only making author J.K. Rowling a billionaire but cementing the fictional teenage wizard at the center of the lives of countless children (and some adults). Its characters are adored by generations, to the point that children and adults alike still carry out online “Sorting Hat” ceremonies to determine whether they would be placed in Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin. Of course, most will adjust their answers to guarantee their membership to Gryffindor, the only house that anyone really cares about.
So, unsatisfied by eight movies, fans were delighted when it was announced that HBO would be releasing its own Harry Potter series and, after months of online debate and gossip, the initial cast of key characters was announced. One particular announcement raised eyebrows: The role of Severus Snape will be played by Paapa Essiedu.
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The problem? Essiedu, who is of African descent, is quite literally the opposite of Snape, who is described by Rowling as a thin man with pale skin, a large hooked nose, and greasy shoulder-length hair.
Now, does it matter that a white character is being played by a black character? In many ways, of course not. On the surface, who cares?
But there is a reasonable criticism to make here — beyond the fact that there are already multiple black characters in Harry Potter or that viewers might cringe as the now-black Snape will be bullied by his white peers, join a supremacist cult, and end up murdering the greatest wizard in living memory.
For years, we have been informed, even ordered, by the entertainment elite that actors must truly represent the characters they pretend to be. When Bryan Cranston was cast as a quadriplegic in The Upside, a CNN column claimed that “Hollywood could do better.” Israeli Gal Gadot was accused of “whitewashing” after being cast as Cleopatra. Vox released an entire analysis of how “voice actors are fighting to change an industry that renders them invisible,” beginning with the white Jenny Slate stepping down from voicing a black character on the animated comedy Big Mouth.
And don’t even get them started on Eddie Redmayne daring to play a transgender woman in The Danish Girl. Redmayne afterward described it as a “mistake” and vowed that he had “learned his lesson.”
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When nonquadriplegic actors pretend to be quadriplegic, it’s bigoted. When Israelis play Egyptians or white actors voice black characters, it’s racist. When men pretend to be men pretending to be women, it’s transphobic. So why is it not racist for a black actor to play Severus Snape, a white character?
If we can agree that outrage toward this casting is in any way silly, then perhaps we are owed a collective apology by those who lost their minds when any minority role was taken by someone who dared to be white, male, or, worst of all, a white male.
Ian Haworth is a syndicated columnist. Follow him on X (@ighaworth) or Substack.