All posts tagged: Snape

Harry Potter reboot roasted by ‘Black Snape’ on SNL: ‘The whole wizarding world is racist’

Harry Potter reboot roasted by ‘Black Snape’ on SNL: ‘The whole wizarding world is racist’

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Saturday Night Live has poked fun at the new Harry Potter reboot’s casting choices. Days after HBO released the trailer for the forthcoming series adapted from J.K. Rowling’s beloved books, comedian Kam Patterson appeared Saturday on “Weekend Update” as Professor Severus Snape — a character previously played by the late white actor Alan Rickman, but now being portrayed by Black actor Paapa Essiedu. After “Weekend Update” host Colin Jost introduced Snape, Patterson joked that the franchise’s titular character was “racist as hell.” “We got this new kid. His name is Harry Potter, and he’s racist as hell,” Snape said. “Harry Potter — or, the Proud Boy Who Lived — spent the whole year telling everybody that the school’s only Black teacher was secretly evil.” Jost replied, referring to the plot of the first book in the series: “I think he’s just …

Harry Potter TV series star says he has received death threats over Snape role

Harry Potter TV series star says he has received death threats over Snape role

Published by Daniella Wilson

Paapa Essiedu has said he has received death threats following his casting in the upcoming Harry Potter TV series. The British actor, known for his turns in I May Destroy You and The Capture, will portray the iconic and enigmatic character Severus Snape in the HBO Max adaptation of JK Rowling’s much-loved novels. Speaking to The Sunday Times, Essiedu has shared that abusive responses to his casting in the show, which will premiere in early 2027, have not been a comfortable experience for him. “It really matters,” he told the paper. “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.’ So while I’m pretty sure I’m not going to be murdered…” After reportedly laughing, he is noted to have added: “That could age badly! But, yes, 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. …

Harry Potter star Paapa Essiedu says he received death threats over Snape casting

Harry Potter star Paapa Essiedu says he received death threats over Snape casting

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Harry Potter actor Paapa Essiedu has said he’s received race-fuelled death threats following his casting as Professor Snape in the forthcoming HBO Max adaptation of the much-loved JK Rowling series. The 35-year-old actor was announced to have been cast in the production last April, with uproar from critics claiming that he couldn’t play the fictional potions professor because he was written as white. “I’ve been told, ‘Quit or I’ll murder you,’” Essiedu told The Times. “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,’” the star added of the online abuse. Although the actor added that he’s “pretty sure” he’s not going to be murdered — a comment he caveated could “age badly” — he maintained that “nobody should have to encounter this for doing their …

Paapa Essiedu Says Harry Potter Snape Casting Led to Racist Death Threats

Paapa Essiedu Says Harry Potter Snape Casting Led to Racist Death Threats

Published by Daniella Wilson

Paapa Essiedu has revealed he’s faced racist death threats after being cast as Professor Severus Snape in HBO‘s upcoming Harry Potty television series. “I’ve been told, ‘Quit or I’ll murder you,’” the actor told The Times in a profile published Saturday. Essiedu said after his casting was officially announced in April 2025, he faced backlash for being a Black actor stepping into the role of Snape. “It really matters. 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.’ So while I’m pretty sure I’m not going to be murdered… That could age badly! But, yes, while I hope I’ll be OK, nobody should have to encounter this for doing their job,” he said. “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.” The role of Snape was originated by Alan Rickman in 2001’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. He …

Tim Roth Talks Turning Down Role Of Snape In Harry Potter Movies

Tim Roth Talks Turning Down Role Of Snape In Harry Potter Movies

Published by Sam Flores

As part of a new interview with VT, the Reservoir Dogs actor sat down with co-star Rebecca Ferguson to promote the new Peaky Blinders film, when the topic of conversation somehow turned to Harry Potter. Spurred on by Rebecca, Tim reluctantly admitted: “I was almost in it.” “They asked me to be in it,” he elaborated, before explaining why he ultimately chose not to pursue the role. “I initially said yes and then I thought ‘No, I’ll just [always] be Snape, that’ll be it’.” Obviously, that role very famously went to Alan Rickman who played the creepy-but-complex Hogwarts professor in all eight of the Harry Potter films between 2001 and 2011, becoming synonymous with Snape for many generations. It was previously reported that Tim had auditioned to play Snape, but ended up choosing to star in The Planet Of The Apes instead – which was filming at the same time – after deeming it too much to appear in both. Alan was on author JK Rowling’s original “wishlist of actors” given to the film’s producers …

Share your health and fitness questions for Devi Sridhar, Mariella Frostrup, and Joel Snape | Life and style

Share your health and fitness questions for Devi Sridhar, Mariella Frostrup, and Joel Snape | Life and style

Published by Sam Flores

There’s no bad time to take a more active interest in your health, but the new year, for lots of us, feels like a fresh start. Maybe you’re planning to sign up for a 10k or finally have a go at bouldering, eat a bit better or learn to swing a kettlebell. Maybe you want to keep up with your grandkids — or just be a little bit more physically prepared for whatever life throws at you. To help things along, Guardian Live invites you to a special event with public health expert Devi Sridhar, journalist and author Mariella Frostrup, and health and fitness columnist Joel Snape. They’ll be joining the Guardian’s Today in Focus presenter Annie Kelly to discuss simple, actionable ways to stay fit and healthy as you move through the second half of life: whether that means staying strong and mobile or stressing less and sleeping better. To make the whole event as helpful as possible, we’d love to hear from you about what you find most challenging — or confusing — …