28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Harry Potter's new Snape had a huge Netflix role you probably missed
Paapa Essiedu has been cast as Severus Snape in HBO's upcoming Harry Potter series, but viewers may recognise him from a previous Netflix role
The highly anticipated HBO series based on the magical world of Harry Potter has now officially announced its lead cast.
After conducting auditions for over 30,000 actors, the coveted roles of Harry, Hermione, and Ron have been assigned to Dominic McLaughlin, Arabella Stanton, and Alastair Stout, respectively.
Before this announcement on May 27, the showrunners had already selected an actor to fill the role of the much-loved character Severus Snape. Renowned stage and screen actor Paapa Essiedu is set to take on the role made famous by the late Alan Rickman.
Some may know Essiedu from his recent appearance on the popular Netflix series Black Mirror. In Season 6's episode titled 'Demon 79', Essiedu portrayed the character Gaap, a flashy and satanic figure.
In this episode, introverted sales assistant Nida Huq (played by Anjana Vasan) accidentally unleashes a demon that is only visible to her. She is told by Gaap that she must perform three human sacrifices within three days to prevent the apocalypse.
Despite straying from Black Mirror's usual themes surrounding technology and instead venturing into the supernatural realm, 'Demon 79' managed to garner significant acclaim from fans and critics alike, reports Surrey Live.
Essiedu and Vasan received positive reviews on their joint performance, with one online critic writing, "The chemistry between Anjana Vasan and Paapa Essiedu is spot on."
Additionally, casual viewers shared glowing reviews of the episode on platforms like IMDb. One viewer was so impressed with the episode that they hailed it as the standout of the sixth season, remarking: "Almost as if it was a short film, by the end of this episode I was completely captivated by the two main characters. I was on the edge of my seat for most of it!"
Their praise didn't stop there as they elaborated: "I honestly didn't really think much of it being different to the rest of Black Mirror (lacking the techy theme) as a few of the other episodes in the new season were similarly lacking and some really not as entertaining. This was the best episode of the season for me!"
For those keen to familiarise themselves with the actor before his portrayal of Snape, delving into Black Mirror could serve as an excellent introduction.
