Alan Rickman played many roles in his lifetime, but perhaps the most memorable was Professor Snape in the “Harry Potter” franchise.
After news broke on Thursday that the beloved British actor died at age 69, fans quickly took to social media to mourn Rickman’s death and pay homage to one of the greatest characters he ever played.
Severus Snape is one of the most iconic characters from J.K. Rowling’s series. The professor was a complicated man with buried secrets, and Rickman played the role impressively well, earning a number of nominations for his acting in the long-running series.
After playing the role everybody loved to hate for 10 years, Rickman wrote a touching goodbye letter about the film. He expressed just how much he loved playing Professor Snape. The letter, written back in 2011, recently made the rounds on Twitter, making us miss the actor even more.
“I have just returned from the dubbing studio where I spoke into a microphone as Severus Snape for absolutely the last time,” the late actor wrote. “A lifetime seems to have passed in minutes.”
Reminiscing, Rickman describes memories of seeing Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint grow up before his very eyes and how Rowling initially persuaded him to play the part of Snape.
“Three children have become adults since a phone call with Jo Rowling, containing one small clue, persuaded me that there was more to Snape than an unchanging costume,” he said.
According to Mirror UK, Rickman originally wrote the letter to Rowling after completing his final scenes as Snape in “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.” It was then published in Empire magazine in April 2011.
In response to the goodbye letter, fans have been moved to tears.
Rickman is one actor who won't be forgotten.
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