Jason Isaacs called out the "racist" Harry Potter fans who have gone out of their way to be "rude" to Severus Snape actor Paapa Essiedu.

Harry Potter star Jason Isaacs has defended Paapa Essiedu’s casting in the franchise’s new TV series against “racist” critics. Essiedu will play Severus Snape, the role portrayed in all eight films by the late Alan Rickman. His casting has prompted backlash for several reasons, though Isaacs put it bluntly while speaking at FanExpo Denver.