Paapa Essiedu, who plays Severus Snape in HBO’s “Harry Potter” series, says he will not discuss J.K. Rowling but will keep stating his support for trans people, as the show nears its Dec. 25 premiere. “I don’t want to talk about Jo at all,” Essiedu told Vanity Fair, adding that he wants to avoid a “them and us” dynamic. He said he is not there to speak for Rowling’s politics. Pressed on his own position, he said he believes “in my bones” that trans people have the right to respect, dignity and safety.
The remarks revive a dispute that began before the cast list was final. In April 2025, shortly after he joined the series, Essiedu signed an open letter from over 400 British film and television professionals. It urged the industry to act after the U.K. Supreme Court ruled that “woman” in the Equality Act refers to biological sex. The court also confirmed that trans people keep protection from discrimination under the law’s gender reassignment provisions.
Rowling, an executive producer on the series, backed the case brought by For Women Scotland with £70,000 and welcomed the verdict, saying it protected “the rights of women and girls across the UK.” She holds that sex-based rights and female-only spaces depend on biological sex. Amnesty International and other critics argue the ruling conflicts with human rights obligations toward trans people.
Rowling addressed the question of Essiedu’s job directly last year. She wrote that she lacked the power to remove an actor and would not use it if she had. She said she does not believe in costing people their livelihoods over legally protected beliefs that differ from hers. HBO programming chief Casey Bloys has said her views have not shaped casting or hiring for the production. In October, Rowling said she would keep supporting women who challenge sex-based rights in court.
Other cast members have taken their own stances. John Lithgow and Bel Powley have publicly disagreed with Rowling’s views. Essiedu told Variety last month that the production team has supported him through racist abuse that followed his casting.
