Paapa Essiedu isn’t the first Black actor fans tried to push out of a ‘white’ role

From death threats to boycotts, the backlash against Paapa Esseidu’s “Harry Potter” casting echoes a long, ugly pattern across Hollywood.

Recently, actor Paapa Esseidu opened up about the racist backlash he received since HBO Max announced he would play Professor Severus Snape in the new, upcoming “Harry Potter” series. 

“I’ve been told, ‘Quit or I’ll murder you,’” Essiedu told The Sunday Times of London. “It really matters. The reality is that if I look at Instagram, I will see somebody saying, ‘I’m going to come to your house and kill you.’ So while I’m pretty sure I’m not going to be murdered…That could age badly! But, yes, while I hope I’ll be OK, nobody should have to encounter this for doing their job. Many people put their lives on the line in their work. I’m playing a wizard in ‘Harry Potter.’ And I’d be lying if I said it doesn’t affect me emotionally.” 

Unfortunately, Esseidu is not the first Black actor to face waves of threats for even possibly stepping into the role of an iconic character previously portrayed as white. 

Noma Dumezweni –  Hermione Granger in “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” stage play

Similar to Esseidu, when actress Noma Dumezweni was cast as Hermione Granger in the 2016 stage play of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” fans of the series quickly took issue to a Black actress playing the role famously played by Emma Watson in the beloved film series. In the midst of the divided reactions, “Harry Potter” creator J.K. Rowling spoke out against the racist remarks, stating, “Hermione can be a black woman.” 

“To say it’s not as it was intended is so unimaginative. It stems from ignorance. They don’t want to be a part of the creative act,” Dumezweni said in a separate interview at the time. “I don’t think they understand how theatre works. We’re here to heal you, make you smile, and whisk you away. The only question we should ask is ‘Are they good?’ I’ve met great actors, Black and white, and I’ve met bad actors, Black and white.”

Idris Elba – Heimdall in “Thor” 

In 2011, Elba took on the role of Heimdall in “Thor.” However, fans quickly took issue with a Black actor playing Heimdall, who is portrayed in Norse mythology as “the whitest of the gods.” So much so that many called to boycott the film’s release. 

“It’s so ridiculous,” the British-born actor said in 2011, per Hollywood Reporter. “We have a man [Thor] who has a flying hammer and wears horns on his head. And yet me being an actor of African descent playing a Norse god is unbelievable?” he went on. “I mean, Cleopatra was played by Elizabeth Taylor, and Gandhi was played by Ben Kingsley.”

However, this was not the only time Elba faced this sort of backlash online. For years, rumors swirled online about the British actor potentially playing the coveted role of James Bond. And while Elba was once flattered by the idea of playing such an iconic role in the industry, the compliment quickly turned sour when the conversation shifted from talent to race. 

“Essentially, it was a huge compliment that every corner of the world, except from some corners, which we will not talk about, were really happy about the idea that I could be considered,” Elba explained in a 2023 interview, per Variety. “Those [who] weren’t happy about the idea made the whole thing disgusting and off-putting, because it became about race. It became about nonsense, and I got the brunt of it.”

Halle Bailey – Ariel in “The Little Mermaid” 

In 2023, Halle Bailey was crowned as Disney princess Ariel in the live-action adaptation of “The Little Mermaid.” However, shortly after the announcement, #NotMyAriel began trending on social media as critics complained that the studio had cast a Black actress to play a character who was initially portrayed as white in the 1989 animated film.

“As a Black person, you just expect it and it’s not really a shock anymore,” Bailey told The Face. “I know people are like ‘It’s not about race.’ But now that I’m her … People don’t understand that when you’re Black there’s this whole other community. It’s so important for us to see ourselves.”

Anthony Mackie – Sam Wilson in “Captain America”

Mackie became the first Black man to play Marvel’s Captain America, a classic comic-book character initially portrayed as a white man with blond hair and blue eyes. Since Chris Evans passed the shield to Mackie, the actor who portrays Sam Wilson has faced waves of racist comments from Marvel fans, so much so that conservatives have called to boycott the film after the actor shared, “Captain America represents a lot of different things, and I don’t think the term ‘America’ should be one of those representations.” However, Mackie later clarified that he meant the Marvel superhero has “universal characteristics that people all over the world can relate to.” 

“I feel like it’s just as important for Black kids to see a Black Captain America as it is for white kids to see a Black Captain America. Growing up my favorite hero was green. So it wasn’t about race or anything, it was about him being a good guy trying to do the right thing,” he added. 

John Boyega – Finn in the “Star Wars” franchise

In 2015, Boyega stepped into the role of Finn in the “Star Wars” franchise. Throughout his time starring in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” “The Last Jedi,” and “The Rise of Skywalker” movies, the actor faced a slew of harassment from racist, toxic fans of the legacy Sci-fi series who took issue with a Black man playing one of the leads. Through the years, the actor has been very vocal about his experience, publicly telling Disney not to “bring out a black character, market them to be much more important in the franchise than they are, and then have them pushed to the side.” 

“Nobody else in the cast had people saying they were going to boycott the movie because [they were in it],” Boyega explained in 2020.  “Nobody else had the uproar and death threats sent to their Instagram DMs and social media, saying, ‘Black this and Black that and you shouldn’t be a Stormtrooper.’ Nobody else had that experience. But yet people are surprised that I’m this way. That’s my frustration.”

During his appearance in Apple TV’s 2025 “Number One On The Call Sheet” documentary, the actor explained: “‘Star Wars’ always had the vibe of being in the most whitest, elite space.” It’s a franchise that’s so white that a Black person existing in [it] was something […]They’re okay with us playing the best friend, but once we touch their heroes, once we lead, once we trailblaze, it’s like, ‘Oh my God, it’s just a bit too much! They’re pandering.’” 

Moses Ingram – Reva in “Obi-Wan Kenobi” 

In 2022, Moses Ingram shared the hundreds of messages filled with degrading racist insults, threats and slur she received from fans after she was cast as Reva in the “Star Wars” series “Obi-Wan Kenobi.” At the time, the actress explained how the wave of hateful messages affected her, and she received support from fans and the franchise’s official account. 

“There’s nothing anybody can do about this. There’s nothing anybody can do to stop this hate,” Ingram shared on Instagram at the time. “I question what my purpose is even being here in front of you, saying that this is happening. … But I think the thing that bothers me, is this feeling that I’ve had inside of myself—which no one has told me—but this feeling that I’ve just got to shut up and take it. That I’ve just got to grin and bear it. And I’m not built like that.”