Alan Rickman revealed how he felt about filming Severus Snape's death in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 in his personal diary. Though he's played many villains throughout his career, including his film debut as the German terrorist leader Hans Gruber in Die Hard, Rickman is best known as Hogwarts' intimidatingly moody Potions Master and head of House Slytherin in the Harry Potter film series, Professor Severus Snape. Initially believed to be a villain due to his hostility towards Harry and his friends, Rickman's character becomes much more layered as the series progresses.
SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY
In 2016, Rickman passed away after a long and private battle with pancreatic cancer. However, his legacy as Snape has lived on, which was recently explored through the Harry Potter 20th Anniversary Return to Hogwarts special which offered touching tributes to the franchise's late actors, with a special focus on Rickman. Though, over the years, Rickman had a complicated relationship with the character, as he was frustrated at times and felt Snape was underdeveloped.
Now, in diary entries recently published by The Guardian, Rickman reveals how he really felt about Snape's death in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2. In an entry dated November 26, 2009, the late actor reflected on filming the infamous boathouse scene, also known as the death of Snape. Read what Rickman wrote in his personal diary below:
The Death of Snape. Nearly 10 years later. At least it’s just down to two actors … David 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.
Rickman's Thoughts On Snape's Death Explained
There is quite a lot to unpack in Rickman's diary entry regarding Snape's death. The entry begins with "Nearly 10 years later," referring to how Rickman filmed Snape's death almost a decade after joining the film series. He also refers to David Yates, the director of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 and the three previous installments in the series. Rickman also credits his scene partner, Ralph Fiennes, and his performance as Voldemort for helping bring the tragic scene to life, as well as the Oscar-winning production designer Stuart Craig, who designed the boathouse set for the film, the setting of Snape's demise.
Though Rickman initially had some reservations about Snape's characterization and later, his death scene in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, the late actor seems content with Snape's final scene based on this journal entry. However, it is not until Harry views Snape's memories in the Pensieve that his full backstory and true motivation throughout the series are revealed. For those wanting a little more insight into the late actor's thoughts, the full collection of his journal entries, Madly, Deeply: The Diaries of Alan Rickman, is set to debut next month.