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Antonio Ferme
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Getty Images When HBO released the first-look image of Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape in the upcoming “Harry Potter” series, it became immediately clear that the show was going for something different. Unlike Alan Rickman’s Snape, Essiedu sports shoulder-length dreadlocks and a more gothic look, swapping the character’s signature buttoned-up robes for a zip-up leather jacket and a flowing, oversized black cloak. “I think the aesthetic is important,” Essiedu told Variety Thursday night at the TIME100 Next Gala, grinning at the suggestion that his Snape was the more stylish of the two adaptations. “I don’t know if style is necessarily at the forefront of my mind when generating the character, but I think the way he looks tells so much about who he is — and who he wants people to think he is. It’s all incredibly well thought through and collaborated with the incredible costume department.” Essiedu previously opened up to The Sunday Times of London about the racially motivated death threats he’s received over his casting as Snape, which he said have “fueled” him to make the character his own. As the series’ Christmas premiere approaches, the actor praised his “Harry Potter” colleagues for supporting him in the wake of the toxic online backlash. “The whole team has been so supportive of me,” Essiedu said. “Obviously, my priority is the work. I wouldn’t take this job on [otherwise], but I walk into it with open eyes. I understand the broad spectrum of what the reaction to what we’re doing means, and I take that mantle on with an open and full heart. I’ve also been blown away by a lot of the support and well-wishes and excitement.”
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