With the clock counting down to Harry Potter‘s Christmas debut, Paapa Essiedu is addressing the ongoing controversy around the show.
The actor, who stars as Severus Snape in the upcoming HBO series adaptation of J.K. Rowling‘s books, recently responded to criticisms of his joining the cast following the author’s infamous social media campaign of transphobia.
“For me, I first came to this story through the books,” he told Time. “So people have got a lot of feelings about this. Obviously, everyone’s got the right to their own opinions about whatever.”
Essiedu continued, “I concentrate on the job at hand, which is to give as much humanity, as much depth, dimensions, layers, complexity to a character that has a lot of that. That is my job, and it’s a privilege, and it’s an honor to do it, and I look forward to being able to do it for a long time now.”
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Having been outspoken against transgender rights in recent years, Rowling previously celebrated UK’s Supreme Court last year ruling that prohibits trans women from being legally recognized as women. At the time, more than 400 people signed a letter urging the country’s film and television industry to take action on trans rights, including Essiedu.
Rowling commented on Essiedu’s pro-trans advocacy after fans speculated if the actor would be axed from the show. “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,” she posted on social media.
Meanwhile, Essiedu’s co-stars John Lithgow and Bel Powley have expressed their disagreement with Rowling’s anti-trans views.
Premiering on Christmas Day, Harry Potter began filming in the UK last summer. Its cast includes Dominic McLaughlin as the titular boy wizard, Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley, Arabella Stanton as Hermoine Granger, John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall and Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid.
Additionally, BBC is working on a two-part documentary about Rowling that explores the rise of Harry Potter and the author’s use of her platform to fight trans rights.