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J.K. Rowling Says ‘I Wouldn’t’ Fire Paapa Essiedu From HBO’s ‘Harry Potter’ for Supporting Trans Rights: ‘I Don’t Have the Power’ and ‘Wouldn’t Exercise It If I Did’

JK Rowling says she would not fire Severus Snape actor Paapa Essiedu from HBO's "Harry Potter" series for signing a letter in support of trans people.

HBO confirmed last month the first round of cast members for the new “Harry Potter” series, including John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall and Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid. At a press event last year, Bloys told reporters that Rowling was “very, very involved in the process” of selecting showrunner Francesca Gardiner and director Mark Mylod to lead the charge on the “Harry Potter” TV series. Speaking on “The Town” podcast earlier this month, Bloys stressed to “Harry Potter” fans that the network’s upcoming series will not be “infused” with Rowling’s controversial views on the transgender community.

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