On January 14th, the world mourned the loss of one the most magical actors to ever grace our screens, Alan Rickman. This legendary actor, notoriously known as Professor Severus Snape from the wizardly world of the "Harry Potter" films, has passed away surrounded by family and friends after a battle with cancer. As a die-hard "Harry Potter" fan, I take great sadness in this news. Alan Rickman took Severus Snape, a character created from words on a paper, and turned the character into the one we loved to hate and all cried over when he was tragically killed off in the films.
After battling on screen with Voldemort, Death Eaters and members of the Order of the Phoenix, it seems as if Alan was indestructible—a true wizard. If only there was a cure for cancer created in potions class. Snape ended up becoming a fan favorite character because of his reason for all the actions he had taken in his life, which was for love. I am a believer that actors channel pieces of themselves into the characters they play and I truly believe that Alan Rickman had a heart as big as the one Snape had in the stories and films. Rickman added a sarcastic, dry sense of humor to the character which made watching his interactions with the students, Harry in particular, a hoot.
Growing up reading the books and mentally picturing all of the characters in your own way, films can be nerve wracking to any book lover. How would your favorite characters be portrayed by these actors? I can honestly say that Alan Rickman went far above and beyond as an actor playing one of the most well known villain-turned-hero characters. It's almost impossible to describe the magnitude of his acting abilities during the eight "Harry Potter" films he starred in unless you are watching them yourself. Severus Snape was a complex character who played a double agent the whole series, which wasn't revealed until his death of what his true intentions were. Playing such a multifarious character is no simple task yet Rickman had this delivery in each performance that was utterly smashing. Rickman steals almost every scene he's in with a witty liner or with one of his long, drawn out, unimpressed stares. Let's be honest, Alan Rickman totally invented the resting b**** face through the character of Severus Snape.
Life can be so cruel and unfair, losing Severus Snape in the films had been saddening enough but to now to lose Alan Rickman is extremely upsetting. Alan Rickman had played the bad guy in several films in his life: he broke our hearts in "Harry Potter," "Love Actually" and "Die Hard" as a villain, but he could not have been a better man in real life. As both the human world and the wizarding world mourns the loss of one of the greats, we must remember happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn the light on. Rest in Peace.
