The acting industry lost a true legend back in January 2016 when Alan Rickman passed away at the age of 69. The British star, known for his slow, deliberate speech (which was due to him being born with a tight jaw), has many standout credits to his name, but a generation will always remember him as Professor Severus Snape in the Harry Potter films.
The other day, the franchise’s creator, J.K. Rowling, shared a heartbreaking experience she once had that got us missing Rickman all over again. While responding to a fan on Twitter who was thanking her for getting the actor to play Snape in the film series, the author recalled a time she witnessed a dress rehearsal for the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child stage play.
“In Harry Potter & the Cursed Child, Snape makes his first appearance with his back to the audience,” Rowling explained. “At the dress rehearsal I saw him in his long black wig & my eyes filled with tears because, for a split second, my irrational heart believed when Snape turned round, I’d see Alan.”
In Harry Potter & the Cursed Child, Snape makes his first appearance with his back to the audience. At the dress rehearsal I saw him in his long black wig & my eyes filled with tears because, for a split second, my irrational heart believed when Snape turned round, I'd see Alan. https://t.co/qC3xxmwz3d
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) April 7, 2020
As the original tweeter reminds us, Rickman was Rowling’s only choice to bring the Potions professor to life on the big screen and she was integral to getting him to agree to the part. Unusually for the writer, who likes to keep her secrets close to her chest, she confided in Rickman about her plans for his character, so he knew all along that Snape was not as evil as he seemed.
In The Deathly Hallows Part 2, it was revealed that Snape had been in love with Harry’s mother Lily since they were children, and it was his pain at her choosing James Potter over himself that led him to ally with Voldemort. Ever since the Potters’ deaths, though, he was working with Dumbledore to protect Harry.
This twist helped ensure Snape as one of the most popular Harry Potter characters, and Rickman’s performance as the anti-hero will continue to live on as long as people love the Wizarding World.