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Original poster

AIBU to think objections to Snape casting are mostly racist?

131 replies

OhNoooooooooooooooo · 08/09/2026 08:28

I'm fed up of people moaning about Paapa Essiedu being cast as Snape, making out "ohhhh waaahhh, it's not true to source material"

As if Alan Rickman was the perfect choice, he was too old, too fat, too handsome, etc

And as if the other character don't match their description. The boy playing Ron is definitely not tall, lanky and with a big nose. Dumbledore is American. Hermione is not mixed race in the books. Seamus has sandy hair in the books,Etc etc

People are just racist and trying to hide behind the books - as if they're some sort of historical record and not a children's book about a wizard....

OP posts:
FourSevenFive · 08/09/2026 08:39

QwestSprout · 08/09/2026 08:30

But when they do the scenes of James et al bullying Snape, it's going to appear as if it were or could have been racially motivated, when that wasn't the case in the original story. I think that's the only issue most of us have.

Why is it an issue? James and Sirious were young prats and wouldn't be magically unable to bully a black boy just because he was black (meaning being black wasn't a shield from them, not necessarily the reason for bullying).

Not casting an interesting actor just because a potential racist interpretations about another book character sounds.... racist to me.

User478 · 08/09/2026 08:38

BirdLandedonmyHead · 08/09/2026 08:30

Some, yes.
Other objection was Snape was a victim of severe bullying, and whether the optics of a black child beinng physically attacked by 4 white children was right.

But they're not announced casting for Lupin or Sirius yet? Presumably someone at HBO has has a tiny thought about this and will cast appropriately?
(And they have at least another year to have a think about it if they haven't already?)

BirdLandedonmyHead · 08/09/2026 08:30

Some, yes.
Other objection was Snape was a victim of severe bullying, and whether the optics of a black child beinng physically attacked by 4 white children was right.

randomchap · 08/09/2026 08:30

It certainly makes James Potter look racist by having him hate and bully Snape for no apparent reason.

QwestSprout · 08/09/2026 08:30

But when they do the scenes of James et al bullying Snape, it's going to appear as if it were or could have been racially motivated, when that wasn't the case in the original story. I think that's the only issue most of us have.

bafta16 · 08/09/2026 08:30

I saw him do Hamlet, he was brilliant. Not sure he is right for this part.