HBO CEO Casey Bloys shared that the new Harry Potter TV series needed extra security and social media training due to death threats sent to Paapa Essiedu, who plays Severus Snape.
I was so excited when the trailer for the new series dropped on the HBO Max YouTube channel on March 25th! But honestly, the reaction has been pretty mixed. A lot of us are comparing it to the original movies, and people are really divided about the new cast – sadly, some have even been directing harsh and abusive comments at the actors themselves, which is just awful.
Paapa Essiedu, who plays Severus Snape, has shared that he’s received hateful and threatening messages – including death threats on Instagram – since being cast in the role.
Essiedu said the harassment he experienced actually motivated his work, but HBO executive Casey Bloys has revealed just how much the network did to prepare after the threats were made.
HBO Max CEO admits “it can get scary” for crew
In a recent interview with Variety on March 24th, Casey Bloys, who has overseen original programming for HBO Max since 2020, talked about expecting criticism directed at actors and other talent.
He explained that large events with dedicated fanbases can sometimes become intimidating. “Any big event where you have passionate fans with strong opinions can be a little scary,” he said.
Responding to questions about Paapa Essiedu, he explained they’d been preparing to support actors. “We expected this possibility and provided training on managing social media and handling difficult situations,” he said. “We also have a dedicated security team in place.”
Casey Bloys didn’t share many details about the show, stating they haven’t even cast the role of Lord Voldemort yet. However, Ncuti Gatwa, who plays a role in the show, recently mentioned some fun, lighter moments, like an incident where his character fell off a broom.
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2026-03-27 19:22