Professor Severus Snape, as played by Alan Rickman, is one such figure in mainstream media history who will always be memorable, unique, and iconic. The layers of depth instilled within Snape, who was initially introduced as an adversarial presence in the Harry Potter franchise, were fascinating to see, especially when they developed most elaborately. Through and through, a vibrant, consistent, and engaging persona.

Alan Rickman

Excerpts from Alan Rickman’s diary have been published over seven years after his death, describing his love/hate relationship with the Harry Potter franchise, in which he played Hogwarts’ potion professor Severus Snape in all eight films.

Alan Rickman thought of quitting the Harry Potter franchise after the second movie

Alan Rickman, who died from pancreatic cancer in 2016, gives readers an intimate glimpse at his life and career over 25 years in extracts from “Madly, Deeply: The Diaries of Alan Rickman,” an upcoming book collection of the actor’s journal entries out the next month.

According to extracts, Rickman wrote prior to filming Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, “feeling about nothing about HP which really disturbs me.” He also mentioned that J.K. Rowling, the books’ author, let him in on a small secret about his character before it was disclosed in the novels – that he was in love with Harry’s mother, Lily. Concerning the writer, Rickman commented, “Talking to her is talking to someone who lives these stories, not someone who invents them.”

Alan Rickman as Severus Snape

Following the premiere of the first picture, he stated, “The film should only be seen on a big screen. It acquires a scale and depth that matches the hideous score by John Williams. Party afterwards at the Savoy is much more fun.”

Despite his attempts to leave after the second film, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, when he scrawled “no more HP,” he was eventually persuaded to stay. Despite his struggle with an aggressive form of prostate cancer, the actor chose to return for many more films. Rickman was diagnosed with cancer in 2005, just before the start of filming on Order of the Phoenix.

Alan Rickman’s unpleasant work experience with Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson

In 2003, while filming Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Rickman revealed his feelings about his co-star, Daniel Radcliffe, who played the lead character throughout the franchise.

“I still don’t think he’s really an actor, but he’ll undoubtedly direct/produce,” Rickman said of Daniel Radcliffe, whom he also called “sensitive, articulate, and smart.” He was critical of Emma Watson’s language, which he described as “this side of Albania at times.”

Alan Rickman and Daniel Radcliffe

While filming on Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban began, Rickman expressed his displeasure, writing, “These kids need directing. They don’t know their lines.” The actor, on the other hand, was critical of other Potter films, slamming the “hideous score by John Williams” in Sorcerer’s Stone and voicing his overall dissatisfaction with Half-Blood Prince.

Since leaving the Wizarding World, Radcliffe’s career has flourished with lesser productions such as Horns, Swiss Army Man, Imperium, and The Lost City. He’ll next be seen as the titular singer in the biographical comedy Weird: The Weird Al Yankovic Story.

Severus Snape in Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows

The late Harry Potter star described his character’s heroic death in the final book as “a genuine rite of passage,” adding that the information Rowling told him about his character years before “gave me a cliff edge to hang on to.”

Alan Rickman was surrounded by people who loved him, and he was still in command of everything that was going on around him until January 13th. But he wasn’t there after that, and he died at 9.15 a.m. on January 14, 2016.

Rest in peace, legend!