Random Stories About Alan Rickman From Behind The Scenes Of 'Harry Potter' (16 items)

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  (#12) He Wore Black Contact Lenses

  Not only did Snape's trademark cape have an effect on Rickman and how he played the character, so, too, did the color of Snape's eyes. "Every year, for seven weeks, I would wear black contact lenses, finding an old friend again and a part of myself," Rickman once said.

  Mike Newell, who directed Goblet of Fire, complimented Rickman on the rich color of his eyes. Rickman reportedly responded by popping out one of the lenses.

  The dark contacts no doubt helped Rickman feel more devious as Snape. "Holding a wand is not the most threatening thing," he said. "Thank God for the sheets of flame [that were added as CGI later]!"
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  (#14) In His Diaries, He Expressed Hesitation About Continuing To Play Snape

  In September 2022, The Guardian printed excerpts from Rickman's 26 volumes of daily diaries, which included many comments about the Harry Potter series, actors, directors, and Rickman's feelings about playing Severus Snape. At times he expressed hesitation about the role. 

  On December 4, 2002, he wrote:

  Talking to [agent] Paul Lyon-Maris about [Harry Potter] exit, which he thinks will happen. But here we are in the project-collision area again. Reiterating no more HP. They don’t want to hear it.

  Four years later, he seemed okay with seeing the role through to the end. On January 30, 2006, he wrote:

  Finally, yes to HP 5. The sensation is neither up nor down. The argument that wins is the one that says: “See it through. It’s your story.”

  Rickman wrote about his death scene as Snape on November 26, 2009:

  The Death of Snape. Nearly 10 years later. At least it’s just down to two actors … [Director] David [Yates] is vulnerable and endearing when he’s excited. And he is by this scene. It’s the absolute example of what can happen when a couple of actors pick up a scene off the page and work with the story, the space and each other. Stuart Craig’s boathouse [set] gave it something ironic and everlasting. As I said at one point to David - it’s all a bit epic and Japanese.
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  (#1) He Offered Advice To The Young Actors

  Rickman was aware firsthand that show business could be a rocky place to make a living, especially for young actors. A few of his co-stars have mentioned how he gave them career - and life - advice. Matthew Lewis (who played Neville Longbottom in Harry Potter) said, "He offered me some of the greatest advice I ever received about this mad profession we shared... He inspired my career more than he ever knew."

  Devon Murray (Seamus Finnigan in HP) called Rickman his "role model." Sean Biggerstaff, who played Oliver Wood, tweeted, "He looked out for me for 20 years and I loved him."
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  (#8) He Treated Daniel Radcliffe Like A Peer, Not A Child

  After Rickman's passing, many of his co-stars from Harry Potter and beyond came out to pay homage. Daniel Radcliffe, AKA Harry Potter himself, penned a powerful tribute in which he hailed Rickman as "undoubtedly one of the greatest actors I will ever work with" and "one of the loyalest and most supportive people I've ever met in the film industry." He went on:

  As an actor he was one of the first of the adults on Potter to treat me like a peer rather than a child. Working with him at such a formative age was incredibly important, and I will carry the lessons he taught me for the rest of my life and career. Film sets and theater stages are all far poorer for the loss of this great actor and man. 
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  (#11) He Gave Daniel Radcliffe A Copy Of 'The Catcher In The Rye'

  In 2018, a collection of Rickman's personal letters was made public. One of them was a thank-you from Daniel Radcliffe, to whom Rickman gifted a copy of The Catcher in the Rye. "I can't wait to read it," Radcliffe wrote. The letters also revealed that Rickman was sometimes unsatisfied with portraying Snape.

  "I know, at times, you are frustrated, but please know that you are an integral part of the films," producer David Heyman wrote to him. "And you are brilliant."

  His letters were auctioned off at the ABA Rare Book Fair in London in May 2018. According to Architectural Digest, the letters got sold as a collection and included letters from Tony Blair, Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, and even Prince Charles. 
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  (#6) He Played A Fart Joke On Daniel Radcliffe During Filming

  During Prisoner of Azkaban, Rickman had some fun by pulling an epic prank on Daniel Radcliffe. The scene was a sleepover in the Great Hall, where Harry and his friends all had sleeping bags. Rickman, actor Michael Gambon (Dumbledore), and director Alfonso Cuarón hid a remote-controlled fart machine inside Radcliffe's sleeping bag, and they made certain it let out all sorts of unfortunate sounds at inconvenient times.

  "I immediately thought: 'This is one of the other kids [messing] around, and we were going to get in trouble,'" Radcliffe later said. "But as it turns out, it was one of the members of Britain's acting royalty."

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