As many of you are aware, yesterday we lost a great actor, and great man, Alan Rickman, after an apparently short battle with cancer. As an avid Harry Potter fan, I am heartbroken at the loss of the man who brought to the screen one of my favorite characters from the series with such raw honesty. It is a rare actor who can be so versatile and play such complex characters as Rickman did in his comparatively short career. I know he was 69 and theoretically lived a good, long life, but it just reinforces the montra, #cancersucks! I will of course always remember him for his incredible portrayal of the tormented Professor Severus Snape. I cried reading his death scene in the book, and I cried even harder seeing Rickman and Dan Radcliffe bring it to life on screen.
My respect for Rickman as an actor came long before he donned the black wig that embodied Snape. He was of course awesome as the evil villain Hans Gruber in Die Hard. A lot of people like the very end as Hans is falling to his death, but my favorite scene is when Hans meets McClane! Rickman and Bruce Willis had such great chemistry there!
And as a Jane Austen fanatic, I will always adore him as Colonel Brandon. His silky bass voice, sitting there just wanting to slap Marianne the entire time for mooning over Willoughby when she had the ever devoted Brandon right there waiting.
I can’t help but laugh as I watch Dogma, where Rickman plays the very untraditional role of the Metatron, or voice of God. I had trouble at first imagining Rickman outside of the 19th century world of Jane Austen, but this role just goes to show how versatile he was.
Last but not least, as the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Rickman had the gift to play these fantastic villains.
I have so enjoyed reading some of the touching tributes coming out from the many people who have worked with Rickman, which only serve to prove what a genuinely beautiful man this guy was!
Rickman’s passing has put me in mind of my trip to London in 2013 when we were lucky enough to go out to Leavesden Studios to see the Harry Potter studio tour. There were many Potter fans in our group so we were all pretty excited to see this, but little could we have imagines the holy grail of Potter fandom we were stepping into. We started the day with a Harry Potter walking tour of London offered by Muggle Tours. Lasting about 2 hours, they take you all over London pointing out different filming locations while also giving you background of the city.
We then got on a train at the Euston train station in London which takes you out to the very end of the line at Watford Junction. There you wait for a shuttle to the studio. The excitement mounting, we arrive at the holy land! When I tell you that every single prop, costume, wig, wang used in the films is there, this is not an exaggeration. We got to play with wands, ride brooms, and fulfill our every Potter fantasy like the nerds we are!
And of course, got to see the Potions Master himself, Severus Snape.
Should you be visiting London, this is absolute must see!
I have been fortunate in my life that I currently enjoy good health, and that I have never lost anyone especially close to me from cancer, though I have had many friends who have had to battle this disease. It reminds us of the preciousness of life and to live life to the fullest each day. For now, and ALWAYS…we remember Professor Severus Snape, Alan Rickman (1946-2016).
Wands up and raise a glass of Butterbeer! Cheers to you all.
-Colleen