Harry Potter’s Paapa Essiedu won’t talk of JK Rowling: ‘Trans people have the right to respect’
Paapa Essiedu has restated his support for the trans community (Getty Images)
Paapa Essiedu has said he does not want to discuss JK Rowling “at all”, while reiterating that trans people should always be treated respectfully, with dignity, and kept safe.
Speaking to Vanity Fair, Essiedu, 36, was asked about Rowling and replied: “I don’t want to talk about Jo at all.”
Essiedu, who is set to play Severus Snape in HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter TV adaptation, used the moment to restate his position on trans rights, which he first made clear in an April 2026 open letter.
He said: “I believe, in my bones, that trans people, queer people, people of all creeds and colour have got the right to be treated with respect and dignity and safety at all times, whether they’re in the workplace, whether they’re at home or in the street, whatever.”
He added: “I’m not really here to speak about Jo’s politics or to be a mouthpiece for her.”
Paapa Essiedu stands strong on his trans rights views
Essiedu described his stance as a personal baseline rather than a debate, continuing: “That’s what I believe, and that’s the way that I choose to live my life. That’s the creed by which I live.”
He also said: “I have been super clear about my position on this topic, and that is the reason why she spoke out about me,” adding that he was “really keen not to make a kind of ‘them and us’ dynamic here”.
Essiedu previously said he felt “really supported” by the team behind HBO’s Harry Potter adaptation after publicly backing the trans community, in a March interview with The Sunday Times.
He has also more recently been defended by showrunner Francesca Gardiner, who condemned the abuse directed at the actor. “It’s appalling that anyone should be subjected to that kind of abuse in any circumstances,” Gardiner said, adding that he “has handled it with incredible grace” and that he has “absolutely nailed the role”.
JK Rowling on Paapa Essiedu casting
Rowling previously addressed Essiedu’s views and casting, writing on X in May: “I don’t have the power to sack an actor from the series and I wouldn’t exercise it if I did. I don’t believe in taking away people’s jobs or livelihoods because they hold legally protected beliefs that differ from mine.”
She has also denied being transphobic in an FAQ on her website, which reads: “J.K. Rowling clearly states trans people need and deserve protection. She wants trans women to be safe but not to the detriment of natal girls and women’s safety and for their rights to single sex spaces to remain protected.”
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