Paapa Essiedu: Falling and Harry Potter star’s famous comedian wife, his tragic family past & why he’s had “abuse and murder” threats
'If I look at Instagram I will see somebody saying they'll come and kill me'
Paapa Essiedu’s star is rising. This year, he’s starred in Babies, he’s one half of Falling’s leading duo, and soon, he’ll take on the mantle of an iconic Harry Potter character.
In Falling (created by Jack Thorne, the writer behind Adolescence and the BBC’s Lord of the Flies), he plays Father David Hicks.
When he meets Anna (Keeley Hawes), a nun who’s spent her entire adult life in a convent, their chemistry is instant and undeniable, causing all sorts of feelings about each other – and how they’ve chosen to live their lives – to unravel.
It’s another fantastic performance by Essiedu, who’s becoming a bankable, prolific star. So, let’s dive into everything we know about him – including why he’s had to deal with “murder threats”.
When did Paapa Essiedu start acting?
Essiedu’s career dates back to 2012, when he first joined the Royal Shakespeare Company. He played Fenton in The Merry Wives of Windsor, which led to him joining the National Theatre.
Essiedu initially served as an understudy in Sam Mendes’ production of King Lear. However, when Sam Troughton was forced to step back after losing his voice, Essiedu was given a chance to play Burgundy for an audience. The acclaim from that performance helped him secure roles in a line of other plays, like Black Jesus and Romeo and Juliet.
Years later, he returned to King Lear as part of the Royal Shakespeare Company – but, this time, he was Edmund. That, plus his performance as Hamlet, saw critics hail him as one of the “great actors”.
Between 2016 and 2019, he launched his TV career with roles in Russell T. Davies’ A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Kiri, and BBC One’s underrated Press. Fun fact, he co-starred alongside Babies’ Charlotte Riley.
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“I started off in theatre, so you’re in the same room as people receiving your work,” he told Mr Porter.
“When I started doing plays, or TV shows, with a political edge, it kind of elevates the meaning of your job or graft in a way. It makes it feel like it’s something that can provoke conversations, questions and debate.”
Paapa Essiedu movies and TV shows you should watch
Essiedu’s film credits aren’t as extensive as his television career. That said, there are still three movies worth recommending.
Firstly, he had a small role in 2017’s Murder on the Orient Express, Kenneth Branagh’s star-studded, entertaining Poirot reboot. Secondly, he plays a pivotal, haunting role in 2022’s Men, Jessie Buckley’s surreal, polarising horror movie. Thirdly, he co-starred with Saoirse Ronan in 2024’s moving The Outrun.
TV-wise, he had a major role in one of the best BBC dramas of all time: I May Destroy You, a harrowing, peerless series about a young woman in London in the aftermath of being raped. He also had an important part in Gangs of London (no spoilers!).
The Capture fans should recognise him as Isaac Turner, and any Black Mirror viewers will remember him as Gaap, a flamboyantly dressed, charming demon.
Most recently, he earned plaudits for Babies, a tear-jerking BBC drama about a young couple struggling with pregnancy loss.
Where is he from?
Essiedu was born in Southwark, London, and raised in Walthamstow. His parents were from Ghana (more on them shortly).
He bagged a scholarship to Forest School, a private school in London’s Waltham Forest. As he grew up, his aspirations evolved. He wanted to be a doctor, but discovered a love of Shakespeare and theatre through his teacher at Forest.
When he was accepted into the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, he met one of his closest friends and colleagues: Michaela Coel.
“I remember seeing her and she was an immediately charismatic individual. But we were the only two dark-skinned Black people [there], and two of only three people of colour at all,” he told NME.
How old is Paapa Essiedu?
At the time of writing, Paapa Essiedu is 35 years old.
He was born on June 11, 1990 (you can read more about his age gap with Falling co-star Keeley Hawes). That means he shares a birthday with Hugh Laurie, Peter Dinklage, and Gene Wilder.
Is Paapa Essiedu married?
Yes! Paapa Essiedu has been married to Rosa Robson since 2023.
Robson is also an actor, as well as a comedian, known for her roles in ITV’s Buffering, The Outlaws, and Extraordinary.
She was also a member of the Cambridge Footlights, an iconic comedy troupe that once included David Mitchell, Richard Ayoade, Sue Perkins, and Tim Key.
Paapa Essiedu lost his parents at a young age
Essiedu’s father, a lawyer, returned to Ghana when he was four. Ten years later, he died. His mother died of breast cancer when he was 20 years old and attending drama school.
“I was really close to my mum,” he told Paloma Faith on her Mad Sad Bad podcast.
“I think after that happened, I cried a bit on that day, cried a bit at the funeral, and then didn’t cry again for five or six years.”
Essiedu spoke about how it made him think he was never sad, but that “obviously wasn’t the case… now I cry all the time”.
Speaking to The Guardian, the star described his mum as his “best mate”.
“I started going to therapy. Maybe only on the third attempt did it take hold for me. I still go every week, though not really to talk about my grief any more,” he explained.
“When you lose people, you’re forced to fill in the gaps. When my mum died I was still coming into an understanding of what her experience was like. As a child you’re just like: ‘That’s my mum, that’s what my mum does.’ So I’ve filled in a lot of the context of her experience as a single mum, as a black woman, after the fact.”
Why Paapa Essiedu was told to “quit or we’ll murder you” over a role
Essiedu’s biggest role to date is coming this year: Severus Snape in HBO’s Harry Potter TV series.
The role, previously and indelibly played by Alan Rickman, has proven to be a huge, often toxic talking point around the new show. Why? Because Essiedu is Black.
Ever since his casting was announced, he’s been targeted with racist abuse. “I’ve been told, ‘Quit or I’ll murder you,'” he told The Times.
He hasn’t reported any of the death threats to the police. “I don’t think some 17-year-old boy being put in jail for two weeks for threatening to murder me would actually make me feel any better,” he admitted.
However, that doesn’t mean he isn’t “affected emotionally” by what he’s read and heard.
“The reality is that if I look at Instagram I will see somebody saying, ‘I’m going to come to your house and kill you,'” he said.
“But the abuse fuels me. And makes me more passionate about making this character my own, because I think of how I felt as a kid.
“I would imagine myself at Hogwarts on broomsticks, and the idea that a kid like me can see themselves represented in that world? That’s motivation to not be intimidated by someone saying they’d rather I died instead of doing work I’m going to be really proud of.”
Read more: Falling filming locations: If Anna’s convent is real and how to find Father Hicks’ real church
