Alan Rickman, the legendary actor who played Severus Snape in Harry Potter, had to be convinced to continue with the series when it reached the fifth film.
Thanks to the new book Madly, Deeply: The Diaries of Alan Rickman, the late actor’s carefully kept diaries have been collated, detailing his life experiences from 1993 to 2016, when he died of pancreatic cancer.
In an exclusive extract released by The Guardian, it was revealed Rickman’s private struggle with prostate cancer in 2005 led him to second guess if he should continue with the famed franchise.
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One excerpt from January 30, 2006 read: “Finally, yes to HP 5 [Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix]. The sensation is neither up nor down. The argument that wins is the one that says: “See it through. It’s your story.”
It was revealed in his excerpt on January 5, 2006 that Rickman had undergone surgery for his prostate cancer, and had his entire prostate removed.
The entry, including notes by diary editor Alan Taylor, reads:
“5am Wake up.
“5.45am Driven to the hospital.
“6am Pre-op. This is like a film set. Nothing seems real.
“Remembering nothing but with that painkiller high in the recovery room. Attentive, caring people. [Throughout 2005, Rickman received treatment for an aggressive form of prostate cancer. It was decided that the best option was to remove the entire prostate, an operation carried out at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee.]”
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A later excerpt from April 12, 2006, reveals some candid commentary from Rickman about how he felt transforming into Snape on set.
The entry appears to be written after a day of filming.
“I realise as soon as that [Snape’s] ring and costume go on – something happens. It becomes alien to be chatty, smiley, open. The character narrows me down, tightens me up,” he writes.
“Not good qualities on a film set. I have never been less communicative with a crew. Fortunately, Dan [Radcliffe] fills that role with ease and charm. And youth.”
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There is also an insightful entry from a few years prior, in 2000, when Rickman first accepted the role of Snape and was keen for more details from author JK Rowling about his character.
On October 7, 2000, he revealed a conversation he had with “Joann Rowling” where she “nervously lets me in on a few glimpses of Snape’s background.”
He very aptly surmises: “Talking to her is talking to someone who lives these stories, not invents them.”
Rickman died on January 14, 2016, after receiving a diagnosis of terminal pancreatic cancer. The actor had suffered a minor stroke in August 2015, which led to his diagnosis.
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