Raise Your Wands, Sparklers: Alan Rickman Has Passed Away
Today we woke up to a world devoid of the smooth, leisurely line delivery of the greatest Snape we will ever know. Alan Rickman, best known to many as the flawed hero of Slytherin, the villain from Die Hard, and Sense and Sensibility‘s Colonel Brandon, has passed away. He was 69 years old and had been battling cancer.
Alan “THE VOICE” Rickman was a phenomenal, versatile actor who was in everything from Galaxy Quest to Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, from Sweeney Todd to Love, Actually, and his dulcet tones were basically the anthem of our generation. I can never read the words “Turn to page 394” without his iconic diction oozing its way into the very core of my being, and “People will think you’re… up to something” will never fail to give me goosebumps. He voiced Absolem the Caterpillar in Alice in Wonderland for like, what, half a second? I recognized him in a heartbeat. I’d know that languid articulation anywhere.
But let’s take a break from our crying hearts to remember Alan Rickman—the man, the myth, the legend.
Let’s remember that time Alan Rickman and Michael Gambon pranked Daniel Radcliffe in front of a girl he had a crush on.
While filming Prisoner of Azkaban, during that scene where the students are sleeping in the Great Hall, Michael and Alan put a fart machine in Daniel’s sleeping bag and kept pressing the button during a take. The video (ft. Alan Rickman laughing hysterically) will make you believe in a better tomorrow.
Let’s remember the Rupert Grint doodle.
Young, baby-faced Rupert once drew an unflattering picture of Alan Rickman during a Potions lesson on set. Alan caught him, but he was “really cool about it,” and he kept the picture:
“I made [Rupert] sign it, and I have it, in my possession. And I’m very fond of it.”
Finally, let’s remember Alan Rickman as Daniel Radcliffe remembers him.
Everyone from Emma Watson to the Phelps twins are mourning the untimely loss of such a glorious talent. J.K. Rolling, too, has offered her condolences to the world, and her thoughts to his family. But it was Daniel Radcliffe’s tribute on Google Plus that made me do an ugly sob akin to the Order of the Phoenix catastrophe of 2003:
Alan Rickman is undoubtedly one of the greatest actors I will ever work with. He is also, one of the loyalest and most supportive people I’ve ever met in the film industry. 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. I know other people who’ve been friends with him for much much longer than I have and they all say “if you call Alan, it doesn’t matter where in the world he is or how busy he is with what he’s doing, he’ll get back to you within a day”.
People create perceptions of actors based on the parts they played so it might surprise some people to learn that contrary to some of the sterner(or downright scary) characters he played, Alan was extremely kind, generous, self-deprecating and funny. And certain things obviously became even funnier when delivered in his unmistakable double-bass.
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. Film sets and theatre stages are all far poorer for the loss of this great actor and man.
Rest in peace, Alan Rickman. And of course… always.
[Via Entertainment Weekly.]
