Harry Potter TV series is already under close scrutiny even before its release as it lands in one controversy after another.
The HBO series has reportedly increased its security by a huge margin after Ghanaian-English actor, Paapa Essiedu, who plays Professor Severus Snape, received extreme threats over the casting.
The actor has received death threats to play Snape, the show’s creator Casey Bloys said Black that the “passionate fans” of the series can get “scary in places.”
He continued: “So for any show like that, we anticipated that and tried to have training, you know, best practices in terms of social media and how to deal with it. And of course we have a serious security team. So unfortunately it was something we thought could happen and we’re just trying to be as careful as we can.”
Essiedu took on the role made famous by Alan Rickman in the original films set at Hogwarts, and a black actor taking on the role sparked a huge debate.
Previously discussing online hate in an interview, the actor recalled: “I’ve been told, ‘Don’t join or I’ll murder you’. The reality is, if I look on Instagram, I’ll see someone say, ‘I’ll come to your house and kill you.’
Although Essiedu has not legally reported any of the messages he received, he strongly condemned the act, saying no one should fear for their lives just because of their job.
