Good god, the role of Kingsley is right there. He's a valuable character, a good character, and Essiedu would be a great match. This is what fans want – casting that is faithful to the books and actually makes sense!

Snape's background is precisely what makes it race specific. He was born in 1960 in an industrial city in the Midlands. The demographics in England at that time were 99.4% white, a number that would be even higher outside of London. The fraction of a percent of nonwhite minorities that did live in England at that time were primarily first or second generation immigrants from the Indian subcontinent.

There is no plausible way that this character, who was born to a poor/working class father with an English last name would be black. Similarly, his mother had an English/European last name, is specifically described as having pale skin, and had been in England for at least a couple decades before Snape was born.

This matters, not only because it's how the character was written, but also because it addresses a specific prejudice that was reflected in the books/magical society. That prejudice is pure classism, which was much more prevalent in England in decades/centuries past than it has ever been in the US.

If you race swap the character, you lose that story. You take away a much more accurate depiction of what socioeconomic prejudice actually looked like at that time. You say that should be highlighted and I agree, but adding a racial component would do the opposite of that. Race would become the central issue, which obviously wasn't JK Rowling's intention when she wrote the character.

This description isn't just important due to Snape's background. It's also important because it's what fans have had for 20+ years. You say the name "Snape" and most of us can picture him vividly,. For some, that's the Alan Rickman version. For others (like myself) we picture something eloser to the book description. Either way, the Snape we know and love (or hate in some cases) has a specific look. Ask a million fans to describe the Snape they see in their minds, and I promise you that not one of them will say "good-looking black guy".

Immersion is important, especially if you're promising a faithful adaptation. It's not right to go around saying "this show will be true to the books", only to change the most recognizable aspects of a main character. It's also patronizing to pretend that it doesn't matter, when we know damn well that that standard is only applied in one direction. If this article was about a white actor being eyed for Kingsley, that would be seen as a huge problem, even though that character isn't nearly as well developed as Snape.

How about casting actors that at least somewhat fit the physical description of the character they're playing? This should be the standard for characters of any race. If you want to cast more diverse actors, fair enough, but there are plenty of ways to do that without ignoring 20+ years of precedent. There are so many characters in the series who've never had strong physical descriptions… why not cast Essiedu and/or other actors of color in those roles?

IMO, that would be doing them a favor. They'd have a chance to truly define a character and make it their own, which I don't see happening with a character like Snape.

“Yet, the color of Snape's skin is not important in the grand scheme of Harry Potter, and doesn't impact his appearance or character.”

It's very much important for two reasons:

1.) Every detail of Snape's appearance is directly tied to his background, personality, and story arc. That includes his skin color.

Putting aside the direct and repeated descriptions of said color, Snape has a strong back story that clearly reflects his race, nationality, and social class. We know he was born in an industrial town in the Midlands. We know the year of his birth was 1960, and that his father was a poor/working-class Muggle with an English last name. At that time, 99.4% of people in the UK were white. The fraction of a percent who weren't were overwhelmingly first or second generation immigrants, primarily from the Indian subcontinent.

In other words, Snape's back story does not work with a black character. Even a mixed race character would strain credulity based on numerous factors, including the fact that his mother also had an English and/or European last name. We don't know much about the Prince family, but she's specifically described as having pale skin.

I realize this might be too "in the weeds" for casual fans, but it's relevant. It means that the show writers will either have to rewrite Snape's entire background or pretend like it doesn't exist. Both of those are unacceptable, given that his background is a fundamental part of who he is. It's why he suffers from the prejudice of classism, which was a huge issue in the UK and is reflected in magical society. You cannot represent that classism (or the character) accurately through the bullying/rejection of a black character. Race would dominate the narrative.

That clearly wasn't JK Rowling's intention. If it was, she wouldn't have described (and sketched) him as a pale, skinny man with a hooked nose and long black hair.

(Part 1/2)