'Harry Potter's Snape Isn't the Only Character Who's Been "Race-Swapped"

HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter TV series has now cast dozens of actors. Among the growing lineup are John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Katherine Parkinson as Molly Weasley, Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid, Paul Whitehouse as Argus Filch, Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley, and Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger.

And it seems fans are happy with all of the new cast members — except for one.

The New Actor Playing Severus Snape

Announced as part of the first round-up of cast members earlier this year, Paapa Essiedu, a relatively unknown British actor who has appeared in Gangs of London and Black Mirror, will play Severus Snape, who was played in the Harry Potter films by the late Alan Rickman.

However, many fans have taken issue with Essiedu’s casting as he’s Black. Some are even describing the casting as a “race-swap”, a term commonly used when an actor of color is cast into a role previously portrayed by a White actor.

Of course, while there are undoubtedly some fans who are being racist, some are just precious over the character and the source material. After all, the new series promised to be a more “faithful adaptation” of the seven books by J.K. Rowling than the eight films.

As such, it’s natural for fans to have expected HBO and Warner Bros. to cast an actor who looks like Severus Snape.

Snape’s Description in the Harry Potter Books

In the books, Snape is described as having a “large, hooked nose” and “sallow skin”. While his ethnicity is never revealed, it’s obvious from Rickman’s casting alone — along with sketches revealed by Rowling years ago — that Snape is originally a White character.

While, of course, there’s nothing wrong with casting a Black actor as a character previously portrayed by a White person, many fans are struggling to imagine Essiedu in the role.

Some have even pointed out that HBO and Warner Bros. have practically cast lookalikes for every other character, yet in the case of Snape, they’ve cast someone who doesn’t look anything like their wizarding world counterpart.

Related: ‘Joker’ Actor Cast in ‘Harry Potter’ Series, Replaces Beloved Actor

Other Harry Potter Characters Played by White and Black Actors

This isn’t the first time a Harry Potter character has been played by actors of different ethnicities across different mediums, though. The first, however, is a tad confusing, as the character in question was played by three actors within the same continuity of the films.

Gryffindor student Lavender Brown was famously played by Jessie Cave in Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows – Part 2; however, unbeknownst to many fans, the character first appeared in Chamber of Secrets and then in Prisoner of Azkaban. But Cave didn’t appear in those films — Lavender was actually played by two different actors, Kathleen Cauley (Chamber) and Jennifer Smith (Azkaban), both of whom are actors of color.

However, like Snape, Lavender’s ethnicity is never revealed in the books, either. And then there’s the case of Hermione Granger, whose casting controversy fans will remember.

Hermione, who was played by Emma Watson in all eight films, was played by Black actors in the West End play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. In response to backlash from fans at the time, Rowling stated that Hermione’s ethnicity is never revealed in the books, despite some arguing that it is. Now, while fans continue to debate over Arabella Stanton’s undisclosed ethnicity, thankfully, there appears to be no discourse surrounding her casting.

So, will HBO’s Harry Potter continue to cast persons of color into roles previously portrayed by White actors? Probably, but who cares.

The Harry Potter series will debut in 2027 on HBO and HBO Max.

How do you feel about Paapa Essiedu playing Severus Snape? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below!