Harry Potter fans furious after HBO casts Italian actor as Parvati Patil in upcoming TV series: ‘So much for diversity'
The casting announcement for the upcoming Harry Potter TV series has sparked significant discussions—especially among the Indian fanbase—following Monday night's reveal that Italian actor Alessia Leoni will portray Parvati Patil, one of the beloved side characters from J.K. Rowling's wizarding world. Social media backlash quickly followed, with fans on Reddit and X (formerly Twitter) voicing frustration at the choice.
A Reddit user captured the sentiment: 'I'm so sick of Hollywood casting biracial, half white desi actors.' Another remarked: 'I'll gladly delete this and eat my words if she is Desi, but with a name like Alessia Leoni I don't have much hope.' On X, one user asked: 'This is frustrating. Why cast an Italian who just looks brown to play Parvati Patil? They easily could've cast an actual Indian actress. So much for 'diversity' @HBO. No hate to the kid, but still…'
Monday also saw the announcement of nine additional roles in the new series: Katherine Parkinson as Molly Weasley; Lox Pratt and Johnny Flynn as Draco and Lucius Malfoy; Leo Earley as Seamus Finnigan; Sienna Moosah as Lavender Brown; Bel Powley and Daniel Rigby as Petunia and Vernon Dursley; and Bertie Carvel as Cornelius Fudge.
This controversy echoes earlier backlash over the casting of Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, a character originally portrayed by Alan Rickman in the films. At that time, fans expressed outrage that the new series chose a non-white actor for a role widely identified with a white British wizard—an uproar that resurfaced debates about fidelity to the source material and authentic representation.
To understand why casting authenticity matters so much to Indian fans, it helps to look back at the original Patil portrayals. In the film series, Parvati and Padma Patil were played by British actors of Bangladeshi heritage, Shefali Chowdhury and Afshan Azad, who were discovered through local school auditions. Therefore, in sum, the current casting decision has reignited frustration among fans who feel authentic representation is being overlooked once more.
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