Alan Rickman may have done the perfect job bringing Professor Severus Snape to screen, but that doesn’t mean that the late actor always enjoyed portraying the Harry Potter character.
In a series of letters posthumously auctioned off following Rickman’s death in 2016, he reveals his frustration in playing the Potions Professor created by J.K. Rowling.
The author had early on informed Rickman of the complexity of the character, revealing parts of information — the infamous “always” — which would shape his portrayal, but only be made known much later.
In one letter, Harry Potter producer, David Heyman, wrote, “Thank you for making HP2 a success. I know, at times, you are frustrated but please know that you are an integral part of the films. And you are brilliant.”
In a note penned by the actor himself during the filming of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince entitled In Snape’s Head, Rickman expressed his frustration at director David Yates: “It’s as if David Y. has decided that this is not important in the scheme of things i.e. teen audience appeal.”
Regardless of his frustration, Rickman’s portrayal of Snape will be remembered as iconic. Always.
