Alan Rickman Spent Final Day on ‘Harry Potter’ Set Mentoring Young Actor About Career Plans
Zack Sharf
The “Harry Potter” cast has often discussed how the late Alan Rickman was nothing like his character in the franchise, the intimidating Severus Snape. Following Rickman’s death in 2016, Daniel Radcliffe named his co-star “one of the loyalest and most supportive people I’ve ever met in the film industry.” Now comes word from Neville Longbottom actor Matthew Lewis that Rickman spent his final day on the “Harry Potter” set coaching him on what to do with his post-“Potter” film career. Lewis never had the courage to speak to Rickman during their franchise tenure, but that changed in the final hours of filming “Deathly Hallows Part 2.”
“On [Rickman’s] last day, I went to his trailer,” Lewis said on a recent episode of the “Inside of You” podcast (via NME). “I just said to him, ‘Hey, I know it’s your last day, and I just wanted to say this has been incredible, to have worked with you for this long. I know that we’ve not really spoken very much, but I just wanted to say it was because I was terrified but you were incredible. Thank you for allowing me to work with you for 10 years and not ever shouting at me or treating any of us as anything less than your equal.”
Rickman took Lewis’ words to heart and proceeded to mentor him on what career moves to make next. As Lewis remembered, “And he was like, ‘Come on in.’ And he put the kettle on, and we had a cup of tea and we chatted about what I was going to do in my career moving forward and what he recommended I do.”
Both Lewis and Rickman debuted in the “Harry Potter” franchise in the first installment, “The Sorcerer’s Stone,” which will be celebrating its 20th anniversary later this year. Although Rickman was a supporting character, his performance across the “Harry Potter” films as Snape is one of the franchise’s most definitive turns.
“He was so encouraging of me both on set and in the years post-Potter,” Radcliffe said of Rickman following his passing. “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.”
Rickman passed away at age 69 from cancer. Next year, the late actor’s 27 diaries will be published as a book under the title “The Diaries of Alan Rickman.” The book will be available to purchase in fall 2022.
