J.K. Rowling explains why Snape actor Paapa Essiedu won't be fired from Harry Potter HBO series

Harry Potter and Wizarding World creator J.K. Rowling has clarified that she would not wish to see actor Paapa Essiedu fired from the Harry Potter HBO series due to his support of the trans community.

Following a UK Supreme Court ruling which stated a woman is defined by biological sex, Essiedu joined over 400 actors in signing a petition to request that the UK entertainment industry protect trans people. Rowling - who supported the Supreme Court ruling - is known for spreading what many would describe as anti-trans rhetoric online.

But, on her own social media, she clarified not only did she not have the power to fire Essiedu, but she would never use it in order to make someone lose their job over a difference of opinion. "I don't have the power to sack an actor from the series, and I wouldn't exercise it if I did," she wrote. "I don't believe in taking away people's jobs or livelihoods because they hold legally protected beliefs that differ from mine."

Despite the controversy often circulating Rowling, it seems that neither HBO nor the cast of the show is put off working on the upcoming Harry Potter series. Actor John Lithgow, who'll be playing Dumbledore, didn't see a problem with working on the show at all.