Summary
- Even though Daniel Radcliffe was intimidated by Alan Rickman while filming
Harry Potter,
Rickman was actually supportive of him. - Alan Rickman, while supportive, did have moments of frustration on set, especially when Tom Felton kept standing on his costume.
- Rickman almost dropped out of the
Harry Potter
franchise due to cancer, but decided to continue on to see it through.
Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe was “so intimidated” by Alan Rickman when he originally starred alongside the much-loved actor in the first movies in the franchise. Although Rickman was nothing like his cold, stern character Severus Snape, for a young Radcliffe, it was hard to differentiate between the two while filming the first three movies in the franchise. Speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Radcliffe told host Josh Horowitz:
“I was so intimidated by Alan Rickman. How can you not be by that voice. Even hearing that voice you forget quite how low it was until it echoes through you. I was so intimidated by him for the first three movies. I was terrified by him and was like, ‘This guy hates me.’”
Despite the reservations a young Radcliffe had, this was never the case, as he discovered years later when Rickman would often champion the younger stars of the franchise, even going out of his way to encourage their other endeavors. This included Rickman going to see Radcliffe in one of his stage plays.
“He cut short a vacation in Canada to come and see me in Equus. He saw every piece of stage work I did when he was alive. He would take me out afterwards and we would talk about it.”
Alan Rickman Was Not Always Accommodating on Set
Although Alan Rickman was, in the main, a huge supporter of the young stars of the Harry Potter franchise, that doesn’t mean he did not have moments when his love wore thin – particularly when Draco Malfoy actor Tom Felton kept standing on the cloak of his costume.
Felton previously revealed that Rickman did often like to remain in character, even in later movies of the franchise, and ended up scolding him for getting a little too close and standing on his cloak while filming. Felton previously revealed:
“Eventually, I was told in no uncertain terms by Alan Rickman, ‘Don’t step on my f*cking cloak.’ I sort of giggled. The Death Eaters and I looked at each other and thought, ‘Is he joking?’ It quickly became apparent: He’s totally not joking.”
Felton went on to recall getting several scathing looks from Rickman when accidentally stepping on the cloak in subsequent shots, mainly due to being told by director David Yates to “walk as close as you can” to the older actor. However, it was not just Felton who felt the wrath, as others also accidentally stepped on the garment in question. Felton noted:
“You have to bear in mind his cloak’s attached around his neck — I nearly killed the poor man!”
Harry Potter: Alan Rickman’s Best Moments as Severus Snape, Ranked
Alan Rickman as Professor Severus Snape is undoubtedly one of the best things about the Harry Potter film franchise.
Despite being an icon of the Harry Potter franchise, Rickman almost did not appear in all the movies and considered dropping out of the saga when diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2006. However, he did eventually continue on after, in his own words, noting he should “see it through. It’s your story.” Now, another actor has the almost impossible task of following in Rickman’s footsteps and bringing new life to the character of Severus Snape in HBO’s Harry Potter TV series.
You can find all Harry Potter movies currently streaming on Max.
