{"id":5127,"date":"2025-05-06T10:40:27","date_gmt":"2025-05-06T10:40:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pilotshopworld.com\/?p=5127"},"modified":"2025-05-07T18:43:24","modified_gmt":"2025-05-07T18:43:24","slug":"jk-rowling-explains-why-she-wont-sack-paapa-essiedu-from-harry-potter-tv-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.pilotshopworld.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/06\/jk-rowling-explains-why-she-wont-sack-paapa-essiedu-from-harry-potter-tv-show\/","title":{"rendered":"JK Rowling explains why she won\u2019t \u2018sack\u2019 Paapa Essiedu from Harry Potter TV show"},"content":{"rendered":"
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JK Rowling has made it clear she does not want Essiedu to be removed from the series (Pictures: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

JK Rowling<\/a> has explained why Paapa Essiedu<\/a> will not be fired from the upcoming TV adaptation of the Harry Potter<\/a> series despite him advocating for trans rights.<\/p>\n

From the moment Rowling was confirmed as an executive producer on the TV reboot, there has been a major backlash from the trans community and its allies<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show will star John Lithgow\u00a0as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall and Nick Frost as Hagrid. <\/p>\n

Many fans of the original films said they were planning on boycotting the new series<\/a> as an act of protest against Rowling’s comments about trans people<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But, after Essiedu was announced to play Severus Snape, there were mixed feelings<\/a> around the casting of the I May Destroy You star, who has previously supported LGBTQ+ rights.<\/p>\n

In an open letter last month<\/a>, Essiedu joined the likes of Bella Ramsey, Harris Dickinson and Nicola Coughlan in signing a petition calling for the entertainment industry in the UK to protect the trans community.<\/p>\n

The statement, backed by over 2,000 signatories, declared \u2018solidarity with the trans, non-binary, and intersex communities\u2019 and preached that film and TV are \u2018powerful tools for empathy and education\u2019.<\/p>\n

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Paapa Essiedu will star as Severus Snape in the upcoming TV reboot of Harry Potter (Picture: Arturo Holmes\/MG22\/Getty Images for The Met Museum\/Vogue)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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JK Rowling will be an executive producer on the new HBO Harry Potter series (Picture: Mike Marsland\/WireImage)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It also said: \u2018We believe passionately in the ability of the screen to change hearts and minds. This is our opportunity to be on the right side of history.’<\/p>\n

Rowling took to social media to confirm that she did not want Essiedu to be removed from the series,\u00a0<\/strong>despite his views differing from her own.<\/p>\n

Writing on X, the 59-year-old said: ‘I don\u2019t have the power to sack an actor from the series, and I wouldn\u2019t exercise it if I did.<\/p>\n

‘I don\u2019t believe in taking away people\u2019s jobs or livelihoods because they hold legally protected beliefs that differ from mine.’<\/p>\n

In the past, Essideu has been a steadfast advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, participating in projects such as I May Destroy You and Femme.<\/p>\n

He has also regularly spoken about the importance of nuanced queer Black representation in TV and film.<\/p>\n

Speaking in an interview with AnOther<\/a> in 2021, he said: \u2018It feels like we\u2019re kind of moving towards an era where there are more opportunities for different types of stories to be told, or for different types of people to tell them.<\/p>\n

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The 59-year-old posted this picture of herself smoking a cigar after the UK Supreme Court ruling (Picture: @jk_rowling)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2018But it needs us to consciously make an effort to platform those stories. That definitely plays into my mind when I\u2019m thinking about what kind of projects to take on board.\u2019<\/p>\n

Rowling has sparked backlash over the years<\/a> for expressing views that have been described as transphobic by the LGBTQ+ community and civil rights groups.<\/p>\n

She has also regularly been involved in X spats with several celebrities<\/a> over her views and has donated \u00a370,000 to For Women Scotland, who helmed the campaign to have the legal definition of a woman defined by biological sex.<\/p>\n

Rowling recently responded to the UK Supreme Court\u2019s recent ruling<\/a> that trans women with gender certificates can be barred from single-sex areas.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\"Paapa\t<\/div>
Essiedu has previously starred in BBC’s I May Destroy You (Picture: HBO Max)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In a post on X, she wrote: \u2018It took three extraordinary, tenacious Scottish women with an army behind them to get this case heard by the Supreme Court and, in winning, they\u2019ve protected the rights of women and girls across the UK. @ForWomenScot, I\u2019m so proud to know you.\u2019<\/p>\n

She also posted a photograph of herself smoking a cigar, captioning the image: \u2018I love it when a plan comes together\u2019.<\/p>\n

However, many people have criticised the ruling as discrimination. <\/p>\n

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Essideu pictured alongside Michaela Coel and Weruche Opia in I May Destroy You (Picture: BBC\/Various Artists Ltd and FALKNA\/Natalie Seery)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Nicola Coughlan has made her feelings clear about the Harry Potter TV series (Picture: Arnold Jerocki\/WireImage)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Previously, several major Hollywood stars have distanced themselves<\/a> from the TV reboot of Harry Potter.<\/p>\n

Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan made her feelings clear about the HBO series, saying that she ‘wouldn\u2019t touch it with a 10ft pole’.<\/p>\n

Saturday Night Live comedian Bowen Yang has also spoken out against Rowling after the Supreme Court ruling. <\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Chernobyl star Jared Harris – who is the son of original Albus Dumbledore actor Richard Harris – ruled himself out of appearing in the TV adaptation.<\/p>\n

Jared was asked last year if he was interested in stepping into his father\u2019s shoes, but he responded saying: \u2018No, thank you.\u2019<\/p>\n

Speaking to The Independent<\/a>, he also questioned the reasons behind the creation of the series: \u2018Also, I mean, why do it? I don\u2019t understand. The films were fantastic\u2014leave them alone.\u2019<\/p>\n

The Harry Potter TV reboot will air on Max.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Got a story?<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk<\/a> entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff<\/a> page – we\u2019d love to hear from you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

JK Rowling has made it clear she does not want Essiedu to be removed from the series (Pictures: Getty) JK Rowling has explained why Paapa Essiedu will not be fired<\/p>\n

Continue reading <\/use> <\/svg>JK Rowling explains why she won\u2019t \u2018sack\u2019 Paapa Essiedu from Harry Potter TV show<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5129,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[10],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.pilotshopworld.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5127"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.pilotshopworld.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.pilotshopworld.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.pilotshopworld.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.pilotshopworld.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5127"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.pilotshopworld.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5127\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5136,"href":"http:\/\/www.pilotshopworld.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5127\/revisions\/5136"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.pilotshopworld.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5129"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.pilotshopworld.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5127"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.pilotshopworld.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5127"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.pilotshopworld.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5127"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}