J.K. Rowling Responded To Rumors That She Would Fire Paapa Essiedu From HBO's "Harry Potter" TV Series
At this point, you're well aware that the series itself has become a hotbed of discourse and criticism because the author has spent the majority of her post- Harry Potter career spending time — and money — essentially pushing back against the mere notion of trans rights.
The backlash has also reached those who have been announced as the show's cast, to varying degrees. This past week, Paapa Essiedu — who, as of this moment, is booked to portray Severus Snape in the series — was one of many British actors who signed an open letter supporting trans rights in response to the Supreme Court ruling.
On Sunday, J.K. seemingly took aim at those who signed the petition on Twitter. 'Some argue that signatories of these sorts of letters are motivated by fear: fear for their careers, of course, but also fear of their co-religionists, who include angry, narcissistic men who threaten and sometimes enact violence on non-believers; back-stabbing colleagues ever ready to report wrongthink,' she said in a very long statement.
Obviously, everything that's going on here would cause any passive observer to consider the possibility that, one way or another, Paapa isn't probably long for the Harry Potter world. But this morning, J.K. took to Twitter (again) to confirm that if he does exit the show, it won't be because of her.
I don't have the power to sack an actor from the series and I wouldn't exercise it if I did. I don't believe in taking away people's jobs or livelihoods because they hold legally protected beliefs that differ from mine. pic.twitter.com/nKcAl3gcvO
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 5, 2025
@jk_rowling / Via x.com
'I don't have the power to sack an actor from the series and I wouldn't exercise it if I did," she wrote alongside a screencap from a website claiming that she wasn't going to have him "sacked." "I don't believe in taking away people's jobs or livelihoods because they hold legally protected beliefs that differ from mine.'
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