'So much for diversity': Harry Potter fans unhappy over casting of an Italian actress as Parvati Patil in the upcoming TV series

The Harry Potter TV series is one of the most anticipated shows in recent times. The series, which is based on JK Rowling's popular book series, is in the pre-production phase at the moment, with HBO recently announcing the lead cast of the show. The casting announcement has sparked significant discussion online, especially among Indian Potter heads. The reason: The makers have cast an Italian child artist to play the role of Parvati Patil in the series.

Italian actress Alessia Leoni will be seen playing Parvati Patil in the series. In the Harry Potter films, the role was played by British-Bangladeshi actress Shefali Chowdhury.

Internet reacts

Alessia's casting has not gone down well among many on the Internet. On Reddit, a user wrote. “I’m so sick of Hollywood casting biracial, half white desi actors.” Another remarked, “I’ll gladly delete this and eat my words if she is Desi, but with a name like Alessia Leoni I don’t have much hope.”

On X, one user asked: “This is frustrating. Why cast an Italian who just looks brown to play Parvati Patil? They easily could’ve cast an actual Indian actress. So much for ‘diversity’ @HBO. No hate to the kid, but still…”

New cast announcement

Monday also saw the announcement of nine additional roles in the new series: Katherine Parkinson as Molly Weasley; Lox Pratt and Johnny Flynn as Draco and Lucius Malfoy; Leo Earley as Seamus Finnigan; Sienna Moosah as Lavender Brown; Bel Powley and Daniel Rigby as Petunia and Vernon Dursley; and Bertie Carvel as Cornelius Fudge.

This isn't the first time that the series has met backlash over a casting announcement. Earlier makers had faced criticism over the casting of Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, a character originally played by Alan Rickman in the films.

At that time, fans expressed outrage that the new series chose a non-white actor for a role widely identified with a white British wizard—an uproar that resurfaced debates about fidelity to the source material and authentic representation.

In the film series, Parvati and Padma Patil were played by British actors of Bangladeshi heritage, Shefali Chowdhury and Afshan Azad, who were discovered through local school auditions.

The recent casting has, therefore, reignited frustration among fans over the gross misrepresentation of characters.