HBO said it enhanced security measures for its upcoming "Harry Potter" television series after death threats were made against cast member Paapa Essiedu.
Network CEO Casey Bloys confirmed that the production is operating with what he described as a "serious security team," saying large, high-profile shows can draw intense reactions.
"With all actors on any kind of big IP shows — and this is obviously one of those where you've got, you know, passionate fans, people with a lot of opinions — it can get scary in places," Bloys told Variety.
He said the network had planned for that possibility, including preparing cast members on how to deal with online abuse.
"So for any show like that, we anticipated it and tried to have training, you know, best practices in terms of social media and how to handle it," Bloys said. "And obviously we've got a serious security team.
"So unfortunately, it was something that we thought might happen and we just try to be as careful as we can."
The precautions came after Essiedu, who has been cast as Severus Snape, said he received repeated death threats online.
"I've been told, 'Quit, or I'll murder you,'" he told the Times.
He said similar messages appear regularly on social media.
"The reality is that if I look at Instagram I will see somebody saying, 'I'm going to come to your house and kill you,'" he said. "While I hope I'll be OK, nobody should have to encounter this for doing their job."
Essiedu is part of the series' core adult cast announced in April and will take on a role previously played by Alan Rickman in the original film adaptations of J.K. Rowling's novels. The project is expected to span several years, requiring a long-term commitment from its cast.
Essiedu said the scale of that commitment is not lost on him.
"I'll be 45 by the time I finish, and I know my life is going to change in a big way, but I have to just surrender to that. I could have children by the end of this," he said.
Essiedu acknowledged the emotional toll of the abuse.
"Many people put their lives on the line in their work," he said. "I'm playing a wizard in Harry Potter. And I'd be lying if I said it doesn't affect me emotionally."
Despite that, he said he remains determined to continue in the role.
"The abuse fuels me," he said. "And makes me more passionate about making this character my own, because I think of how I felt as a kid.
"I would imagine myself at Hogwarts on broomsticks, and the idea that a kid like me can see themselves represented in that world?
"That's motivation to not be intimidated by someone saying they'd rather I died instead of doing work I'm going to be really proud of."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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