Alan Rickman was certainly one of the strongest additions to the Harry Potter cast. Playing the enigmatic Professor Snape, the Brentford native’s deadpan expressions and dry humor brought out mystery and complexity to the J.K. Rowling-created character. But outside of filming, the “darling” Rickman made sweet gestures towards his young fans, and my heart can’t take just how lovely this all is.
Through the Harry Potter movies, viewers tend to see Professor Snape as (entertainingly) emotionless, even though there’s more to him than meets the eye. But in real life, the late Rickman was all about bringing joy to his co-stars and his devoted fans. In fact, Rickman’s pal and Potter co-star, Gary Oldman, spoke at the Toronto International Film Festival (via EW) about how his buddy would bring kids to set every day to watch scenes beg filmed, and I’m getting all of the feels:
He would bring them in from a school, he’d bring them in from the hospital, he’d bring friends and their kids in every single day for lunchtimes and things. He’d take kids around to tour the sets, and we’d meet them. [He] thought that was the most extraordinary thing, that he was in this world that he got to be in, come in every day, and that he knew how much it meant to these kids. So, he wanted to share it. …. He was such a darling like that.
I can’t get over this. All in all, it’s clear that Rickman knew how much the world of Harry Potter meant to kids and how much they’d want to experience the magic of the movies.
His other Harry Potter co-star, Timothy Spall, could attest to that, as his sweet memory of working with Rickman involved the later actor bringing his friends’ children to tour the set during his days off. The Die Hard star would also bring terminally ill children and their families to set, per co-star Tom Felton, who learned from the late actor when it came to the gift of charity. Rickman even used his Potter money to treat his pals to meals. The man’s generosity clearly knew no bounds.
When the Harry Potter film series ended in 2010, Alan Rickman wrote a heartfelt goodbye letter to mark the end of his time as Snape. He also expressed how he cherished the growth of his young co-stars and believed it a privilege to play such a complicated character. Oldman continued to speak at TIFF about how committed Rickman was to the franchise:
Alan was kind of like the cheerleader of it. He was into it, he was doing it, so he was with it and committed to it.
Rickman’s dedication to his Wizarding World role was more than apparent based on his performances in the movies. Through his voice, walk and mannerisms, he fully embodied the Slytherin professor fans grew to know and love. On top of all that, Rickman had fun on set, like the time he and Michael Gambon pranked Daniel Radcliffe with a fart machine.
There’s so much to marvel at when it comes to Alan Rickman’s career, as he put in some truly excellent performances. Still, I think what truly marks his legacy is the way he gave of himself to others, and those are moments that fans remember for years. Let us all strive to be as generous as Rickman was as we navigate our own lives.
You can watch Rickman’s memorable role as the intimidating Hogwarts professor film series with either a Peacock subscription or an HBO Max subscription.
