Summary
- Alan Rickman was the only actor to know Harry Potter spoilers from the beginning, and he kept them a secret until the end of the franchise.
- Rickman's dedication to understanding Snape made him one of the greatest characters in the Harry Potter franchise.
- The new actor who plays Snape will have big shoes to fill, as replicating Rickman's incredible acting will be difficult and almost impossible.
Alan Rickman was the only actor to get Harry Potter spoilers as early as the first of the eight-movie saga. This was something talked about in the Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts, with Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson joining other stars to share memories of the franchise. They sometimes surprised each other with personal memories and big reveals from their years making the movies. Tragically, there was no chance to hear from Alan Rickman, as he had died since the end of the franchise.
There were some important Harry Potter actors missing from Return to Hogwarts, including Michael Gambon (Albus Dumbledore), Maggie Smith (Minerva McGonagall), David Thewlis (Remus Lupin), and Julie Walters (Molly Weasley). But the Harry Potter reunion especially noted the absence of those who, tragically, are not around anymore, with Alan Rickman as the best example. However, there was a touching tribute to the actor and both Daniel Radcliffe and Gary Oldman confirmed the Alan Rickman spoilers from Harry Potter that no one else in the cast received.
Alan Rickman Needed To Know How To Play Snape
Alan Rickman was the first and only actor on the set to know the Harry Potter spoilers on how the story ended. He wanted to know the layers of Snape's complex character to portray him correctly. Revealed in Return to Hogwarts, Daniel Radcliffe said: "He very early said to Jo, 'I think I need to know' and he never told anyone." Rickman knew Snape's whole backstory as early as The Sorcerer's Stone. This included his apparently shifting loyalties, his ultimate devotion to Dumbledore, and his undying love for Lily Potter, which motivated him to help and protect Harry in his quest against Voldemort.
He knew of Harry Potter spoilers for the future timeline before the movie's directors. According to Radcliffe, "He never told Chris [Columbus], he never told anyone. Chris would literally say to him, why are you doing that like that? He was like, I’ll tell you later." Severus Snape was an immensely complex character, whose conflicted feelings reflected in his relationship with Harry. Snape deeply loved Lily Potter but despised James Potter, who was his bully at Hogwarts. Knowing Snape’s secrets helped Rickman play his character to the best of his ability, something producer David Heyman confirmed (via LA Times):
"Looking back, you can see there was [...] a look, an expression, a sentiment that hint at what is to come ... the shadow that he casts in these films is a huge one and the emotion he conveys is immeasurable."
After The Deathly Hallows in 2011, Rickman told the press he knew he was working as a double agent. And in 2016, after his tragic death, a Twitter user asked J.K. Rowling about the Alan Rickman spoilers she revealed at the beginning of the story. Rowling replied, "I told Alan what lies behind the word 'always'." In Return to Hogwarts, Daniel Radcliffe confirmed Rickman knew more Harry Potter spoilers than anyone else, and he kept them a secret till the very end of the saga.
What Other Harry Potter Actors Said About Alan Rickman's Performance
In Return to Hogwarts, Ralph Fiennes (Lord Voldemort) confesses he was intimidated by Alan Rickman's impeccable delivery of lines. Ralph Fiennes himself frightened his fellow actors with his sudden transformation into the Dark Lord whenever the directors would call action, so this shows just how perfect Alan Rickman was as Severus Snape. To this day, Snape remains one of the most popular Harry Potter characters of all time, and Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts does an excellent job of showing Rickman as the always-prepared but ever-playful and supportive actor that the whole cast loved.
Daniel Radcliffe penned a tribute to Rickman on his old Google+ account after the actor's death (via ABC).
"Undoubtedly one of the greatest actors I will ever work with... He was so encouraging of me both on set and in the years post-Potter. I'm pretty sure he came and saw everything I ever did on stage both in London and New York. He didn't have to do that... 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."
Whoever Plays Snape Next Has Big Shoes To Fill
There is a new Harry Potter HBO TV series coming to Max, and it will tell all the books' stories from start to finish over 10 seasons. This means that the story can play out closer to the series without having to cut too much material as the movies did. However, as this is a new re-telling of the story, none of the beloved cast members will likely be back unless some of the kids sign on for different roles as adults from the story. It will be hard for many fans to accept anyone else as Harry, Hermoine, and Ron, but possibly the hardest character to replace will be Snape.
With his dedication to understanding Snape, Alan Rickman really worked hard to add nuance to his character and made him one of the greatest characters in the entire franchise. It is true that the new actor will already know the Harry Potter spoilers since they played out in the original movies and the books. However, what Rickman brought to the role, and the incredible acting he delivered in the movies, will be hard and almost impossible to replicate. It might be best to change the character somewhat appearance-wise, or else people will always compare and contrast the new Snape in Harry Potter with the great Alan Rickman.
