Alan Rickman and David Heyman talk Snape and a decade of magic on ‘Harry Potter’

In a new interview with the Los Angeles Times Hero Complex, Alan Rickman talks more about his double-agent role that was motivated by long-lost love. Early on in the filming of the Harry Potter series, author J.K. Rowling took Alan aside and revealed this secret back story of Snape. Knowing this secret, set the actor up to portray Snape as something more complicated (and more tragic) than a mere black-caped villain.

Producer David Heyman stated this of Rickman:

“It was quite amusing, too, because there were times when a director would tell Alan what to do in a scene and he would say something like, ‘No, I can’t do that – I know what is going to happen and you don’t!’ He had a real understanding of the character and now looking back, you can see there was always more going on there – 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.”

Alan Rickman spoke of the “the unique experience” of “watching the movies grow up with the children” as the years brought a darker story tone and evolving cast dynamic:

“It was a punctuation mark in my life every year because I would be doing other things but always come back to that and I was always aware of my place in the story even as others around me were not. Am I sad? The point about a great story is that it’s got a beginning, a middle, and end. The ending of this story was quite popular and beautifully judged by Jo Rowling and David Yates, so it’s not a cause for sadness; it’s a cause for celebration that it was rounded off so well.”

Rickman’s portrayal of Snape was so well received throughout the 8-film series, we can only hope he gets recognized by the Academy at the upcoming Oscar Awards.

Thanks to our friends at The Leaky Caudron for the tip!