At the Toronto International Film Festival, 68-year-old Gary Oldman, Sirius Black from the Harry Potter franchise, shared warm memories of his colleague Alan Rickman. According to Oldman, Rickman, who played the stern Professor Snape, was a true “cheerleader” on set—a person who genuinely enjoyed the wizarding world of Potter and wanted to share that joy with others. Therefore, in addition to the actors involved in the filming, ordinary spectators often gathered on the set.
“He brought children every single day,” Oldman said. “From school, from the hospital, friends and their children—for lunch and just like that.” He showed them around the sets, and we got to know them.
Oldman added that Rickman considered it “the most extraordinary thing” that he got to live in this world, and understood how much he meant to the children. The contrast with the screen image is striking: in the films, Snape is cold, caustic, and frightening. In real life, Rickman was the complete opposite—generous, warm, and attentive.
Incidentally, Rickman was the only actor to whom J.K. Rowling confided the secret that shaped his entire performance back in 2000, when only a few books had been published. She told him the meaning behind the word “Always”—Snape’s undying love for Lily Potter, Harry’s mother. This knowledge allowed Alan to play not a villain, but a man with deep, hidden pain. He kept the secret until the very end of the franchise—he didn’t tell the directors or his colleagues. After Rickman’s death, Daniel Radcliffe recalled:
Director Chris Columbus literally asked him: “Why are you doing it like this?” — and Alan would reply, “I’ll tell you later.”
This January marked ten years since Alan Rickman’s death — he passed away on January 14, 2016, at the age of 69, from pancreatic cancer. The diagnosis came as a complete shock to the family: there were almost no symptoms — just back pain and minor stomach problems. Chemotherapy extended the actor’s life by six months. His widow, Rima Horton, said in an interview with the BBC:
He still wanted to give the world so much. He could have done so much.
Horton, together with Pancreatic Cancer UK, launched a charity campaign to raise funds for the development of a breath test for the early detection of pancreatic cancer. As part of the campaign, a raffle was held: a complete set of seven Harry Potter books, autographed by twelve actors from the franchise, including Rupert Grint, Helena Bonham Carter, Ralph Fiennes, and Emma Thompson. By donating five pounds, anyone could have a chance to win the collection. The actors, according to Horton, responded immediately:
Everyone we asked said, “Of course.”
