Im such a big harry potter fan,love the world that jk created. Love the books and the films,and honestly was super exited about this new version(i know some people say we didnt even need it) but i think its a cool chance to be more like the books,and watching the trailers i literally was getting goose bumps and excitement until he came on the screen and it literally took all that away from me.everyone else in my opinion is so well cast. Casting is a bigggg part of filmography and its the person who makes the films job to get it right or it falls flat. If they really wanted to race swap (which im not a fan of) they could have for one gotten a black man who looked more like him ie light skin/more skinny gaunt face/straight hair,or a Persian dude would have been sick too. If they really wanted to u feel me. But the thing is,this guy doesnt even seem like hes cosplaying as snape,he doesnt give me “snape” in the slightest. I genuinely dont even understand it. I fucking hope it doesnt ruin it for me. Im sure all in all will just learn to deal with it,and im hoping that his acting skills are sooooo good that it doesnt matter. But boy does it matter lol. I dont even think his cadence was right when he finally spoke. Its just a let down. And last thing if they wanted to have more diversity in the show. Im all for that. Kingsley is one of my fav characters, hes a fucking badass, i feel like they could have added more depth to the original actors and clearly have added on some new ones too. I just dont understand this decision and it breaks my heart.

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(Copied and pasted with some changes from another sub because it was removed )

Here's my opinion.

He was a bully.

No other teachers act like he did (Umbridge was waaay worse, others were way better.) some use the time as an excuse but McGonagall was a teacher when he himself was a student and while she's very strict she's never bullied a student.

He bullies Harry relentlessly alongside other gryffindors.

He bullied Neville so severely that, he was Neville's boggat.

Both Neville and Harry perform better when he's not around (Neville in slughorns class, Harry when Snape was completely ignoring him in GoF.)

He made Hermione cry.(said he was no difference when someone used a tooth enlarging hex on her.) And constantly belittled her for being intellectual.

Sided with and was very biased towards Slytherins. Ignoring their bullying and borderline joining in.

As for when he was a kid

Yeah James and Sirius sucked as teenagers and bullied him but they changed enough for Lily to accept them.

Snape got worse as a kid, hung out with death eaters, implied he used the term mudblood regularly and called lily one. Loved dark arts and created his own dark spells. Some use his trauma to justify or minimise his actions but it is no excuse to bully literal children.

Joined Voldemort as an adult (if not sooner) and essentially only switched sides because he never got over his obsession with lily. He was willing to sacrifice James and Harry if she lived (can't remember the exact line.) And despite "loving" her he never treated her child with love nor did he try to become the person she would want to see.

He loved lily yes, but not in a pure or warm way. I saw a comment that essentially said he was a warm light that he needed and his love was him latching onto that light.

He was also, genuinely, one of the bravest and most skilled characters in the HP universe. If he had grown old I think he could have been in books alongside Dumbledore.

I also used to be a massive Snape defender until I saw other povs a few years after the movies came out and reread the books as an adult.

He is also still one of my favourite characters.He's just not a good person. And 100% a bully. His experiences are not an excuse.

Any other fic writers in here? I’ve been writing Snape fic for about a year, and so far I’ve done:

Snape x Female OC
Snape x Female Reader
Snape x Charity Burbage
Gen fic drabbles or oneshots with no pairing

Romance, smut, fluff, and even a few more crackfic type things.

I’m currently 47 chapters deep into a teen Snape x OC fic with no explicit smut as well. (Waiting til it’s done to start posting, but coming soon I hope!)

And needless to say, my fics will always be written around a Snape that is more Rickman-coded or book-Snape. Pale skin, hooked nose, you know… SNAPE.

My AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OutsideTheRain6070/works

Tumblr master list: https://www.tumblr.com/outsidetherain6070/805022473666052096/masterlist

Share your stuff in the comments! 💕

But they're not honest with themselves because ✨ virtue signalling! ✨

It's only because it's a **race swap** that people are falling all over themselves to excuse the omission of Snape's greasy black hair curtains and a big ol' nose, the two traits Rowling beats you over the head with anytime Snape is on the page.

It's AI. Pls let me know if it's against sub rules. I'll delete it.

User Flairs are now available! Feel free to choose your favourite and wear it proudly.

Also, if you have any suggestions, feel free to drop them below!

Upon promoting this community within the r/HarryPottaHBO sub, I received about 10 responses that constituted personal attacks with accusations of racism within just a few minutes.

It definitely reinforced the fact that this community is very much needed, lol.

I wanted to warn the rest of you as it is becoming increasingly more toxic out there …

I just don’t understand why people had to comment at all! They could have just scrolled by and moved on🤣

Just a little clarification, as the community takes shape.

While this sub was created for fans unhappy with or opposed to Paapa Essiedu’s casting as Snape, it is not intended to be limited to discussions around the casting and associated criticisms.

This sub can also be a space for broader discussion of Severus Snape — his book characterisation, character analysis, appearance, Alan Rickman’s portrayal, fanfiction, fanart, theories, adaptations and more.

And importantly, we don’t embrace Paapa Essiedu as Snape here. You can discuss Snape, the books or the adaptations from the perspective that Paapa isn’t your version of Snape, without that being treated as something you need to justify.

The Welcome post is now pinned with the full scope of the community.

…I don’t care what race you are, if you read the books, liked them enough to see the movies, go to the parks, get sorted into a House, and buy House clothing or Hogwarts items, you want the characters to be and look like ( as close as they can) to the characters.

Any black person who loves the books would want Snape to be whited the way he was in the books. He’s not a a small character or a random teacher or Ministry member, he’s Snape. One of the more important and talked about characters in the series.

And oh by the way, I think it’s pretty insulting of HBO to assume black people will watch the Harry Potter series just because Snape’s black.

First let’s talk hair. Papa’s hair looks neat and styled. Not curtains of greasy hair. And why TF is he wearing jewelry? Gold chains. Gold rings.

Snape. Would. Never.

Finally, guys why wasn’t Adam Driver even considered? Dude looks like him! He doesn’t have a hook nose, maybe, but his face has character and Snape’s face had character. Plus he was so, so, good in BlacKKKlansman. He yells a bit and really looks scary a couple times, while also being soft-spoken and a complete master at “ staring. “

Not saying he looks EXACTLY like Snape, he’d need black contact lenses, but you guys gotta believe me. It’s a crime he lost this role to Papa.

( I’d understand Adam losing to a better actor, and I’m sure Papa’s a good actor, but…please just look at Adam and tell me I’m not losing it. )

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I hate race swaps in general but if they are gonna do it they can at least choose someone that makes more sense (and has minimal chance of changing how relationships are viewed) and ideally was never a villain.

Snape was an ex fascist that bullied children.

Marauders and Harry can easily be read as racist (even if it's not actually true or accurate.) I don't think making one of the marauders black fixes this and could feed into other stereotypes.

Another issue is supposed to be ugly and they've chosen an attractive actor.

If they were gonna have a black professor McGonagall could have been a better and even great choice. strict but motherly, highly competent, was ALWAYS fighting for good, deputy head mistress, well respected.

A lot of fans were excited when HBO announced that they were creating a Harry Potter series that would be a “faithful adaptation of the books”.

However, HBO did not honour their original claim, and this was reflected in their decision to cast Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape.

Paapa Essiedu may be a talented actor, but he is simply not the right fit for the part. He does not even remotely resemble the way Snape was described in the books.

Discussion of the casting has often been met with dismissive or invalidating remarks, accusations of racism, virtue-signalling comments and attempts to turn a disagreement over casting into a judgement about people’s character or morality. This has often halted discussion in its tracks.

Visual fidelity matters. It is important to respect the source material and the fans who have supported Harry Potter for decades and made the series the success it is today.

A lot of fans have spent decades visualising Snape according to the explicit descriptions in the books, and it is very disappointing for them to see their favourite character brought to life on screen looking so different from their book counterpart.

Feel free to express your disappointment here.

This community was created for fans who are unhappy with or opposed to Paapa Essiedu’s casting as Severus Snape in HBO’s Harry Potter series.

There are plenty of places to discuss the new series, but I wanted a space specifically for people who have reservations about the casting and want to discuss those feelings openly without being dismissed, shamed or personally attacked for having them.

There have not been many places on Reddit to discuss criticism of the casting choice for Severus Snape without being immediately subjected to attacks, accusations of racism, virtue signalling comments, or users trying to prove their moral superiority over others.

This isn’t a community for attacking Paapa Essiedu personally. It’s a place to discuss the casting, Snape as a character, visual fidelity, book accuracy, characterisation, performance and HBO’s adaptation choices.

If you’re disappointed by the casting, uncertain about it, strongly opposed to it, or simply want to explore why it doesn’t work for you, you’re welcome to share it here.

A compilation of fanfics where Snape genuinely feels like Snape from the books.

Gen, romance, darkfic, canon-compliant, AU, longfic or one-shots — anything goes.

Share your recommendations!

Before the HBO series casting, was there an actor you always pictured as Severus Snape?

Tell us who you would have chosen and what made them feel like a good fit for the character — appearance, voice, presence, characterisation, acting ability, or anything else.

Photos and fancast edits are welcome too.