Papa Asido on Snape Role: I Knew the Backlash Would Come

When HBO released the first official image of Papa Asido as Severus Snape, the internet reacted faster than a potion gone wrong. The look was unmistakably different. Long, tightly textured hair falling to the shoulders. A darker, gothic mood. And instead of the familiar buttoned cloak, Snape appears in a zipped leather coat beneath a sweeping black mantle. It was a clear signal that this adaptation intends to reimagine the character—not merely resurrect him.

At the TIME100 Next Gala, Asido spoke candidly with Variety about the visual choices and what they reveal. He shrugged and smiled when asked whether this Snape is simply more stylish than the one Alan Rickman famously played. "Visual choices matter," he said. "The way a character dresses tells you who they want to be—and who they are beneath the surface." He credited a meticulous costume team for shaping that identity, a group that collaborated to land every texture, seam and silhouette with purpose.

The conversation took a darker turn when the actor addressed the toxic backlash that followed his casting. In a previous interview with The Sunday Times, Asido disclosed that he had received racist death threats. Those messages, he explained, did not deter him. If anything, they hardened his resolve. "I knew the spectrum of reactions that might come. I would never have taken the role if I couldn't weather that storm," he told reporters. "I accepted this with my eyes open and my heart full of purpose."

Support, he said, has arrived in spades from colleagues on set. The cast and crew rallied behind him, sending messages of encouragement and practical solidarity as he navigated waves of online hostility. That backing helped turn the noise into fuel. He described the outpouring of goodwill—letters, thoughtful notes and fans who expressed excitement—as unexpectedly powerful, a reminder of why the work matters.

Asido’s rise is hardly accidental. He broke ground in 2016 as the first Black actor to portray Hamlet on a major British stage, earning the Ian Charleson Award and critical acclaim. Later came BAFTA nominations for roles in I May Destroy You and The Lazarus Project, credentials that make his casting less a stunt and more a natural evolution of an accomplished career.

Warner Bros. has framed the new Harry Potter series as one of the streaming era’s landmark events. For Asido, the show could be the portal to global stardom. He says he’s proud of what he’s seen so far and respectful of the many people who poured themselves into the production. "A lot of us have been waiting for this to happen," he told Variety. "There has been a lot of talk. Now it’s time for audiences to see the work."

Season one, adapting Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, arrives on HBO Max on December 25. Love it or loathe it, this take on Snape forces a conversation about interpretation, ownership and the power of casting choices to shift a story’s meaning. Will viewers let the image stand on its own, or will the noise drown out the art? The curtain rises in December—judge for yourself.