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10 Stories About Alan Rickman From Behind The Scenes Of 'Harry Potter'

The late actor who died of cancer left a memorable and lasting impression on everyone who met him.

(L) Alan Rickman attends the "A Little Chaos" premiere during the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival at Roy Thomson Hall on September 13, 2014 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Leonard Adam/Getty Images)

The late Alan Rick is a renowned actor but perhaps he's best known for his role as the complicated Potions Master at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the Harry Potter films. Severus Snape might be a debatable good guy, but in real life Alan Rickman was adored by everyone who met him. The actor tragically passed away in January 2016 at the age of 69 from pancreatic cancer. But his legacy lives on: not just through his incredible acting prowess but the man he was off-screen as well. Here's a look at 10 sweet stories of the actor from the sets of the Harry Potter franchise.

1. He Gave Daniel A Book

Rickman reportedly gifted Daniel Radcliffe, who played Harry Potter, a copy of The Catcher in the Rye. "I can't wait to read it," Radcliffe wrote in a letter to the actor. A collection of Rickman's personal letters was made public in 2018.

2. He Kept A Drawing Rupert Made Of Him

Rupert Grint, who played Ron Weasley, was doodling a caricature of Rickman when the actor happened to look over his shoulder. "I was so scared," Grint said because in the sketch he had "exaggerated a few of his features." But Rickman responded differently. "I made him sign it, and I have it in my possession," Rickman said proudly. "I'm very fond of it."



 

3. He Treated Young Actors As Equals 

Rickman reportedly treated all the child actors at the time with respect. According to Screen Rant, all of them remember that Rickman always treated them as equals during and even out of the shoot.



 

4.  He Got Involved In Snape's Costume Design

Rickman felt that his character needed a lot of buttons and also wanted the sleeves to be tight.

5. He Got A Role For A Teen With Cancer

During the filming of Prisoner of Azkaban, a 15-year-old named Jay who had a diagnosis of late-stage neuroblastoma visited the set. Rickman made him part of the film! "Alan [Rickman] came over and introduced himself to Jay, and Jay was so happy to meet him. He was really knowledgeable. He was about 15 at the time, and he knew a lot about Alan’s other films, and Jay mentioned to Alan that what he really wanted to do was be in the film,” said producer Paula DuPré Pesman, as per HuffPost and added, “Alan looked at me, and he kind of went into his Snape-mode in costume, and said, ‘Why isn’t this child in the film?’” recalled DuPré Pesman. “Everyone had a good laugh, and Alan took him by the hand and put him into the crowd of kids as they were panning across. The back of him is actually in a shot."



 

6.  He Used His ‘Harry Potter’ Paychecks To Treat Friends & Colleagues For Dinner

Kate Winslet shared an anecdote she heard at the actor's memorial service, saying: At Al’s memorial, Juliet Stevenson told the story of how whenever Al would go out to supper, and anyone else would try and pay, he would somehow have phoned ahead or slipped his credit card ahead of the meal, so no one even got a look at the check. He’d just say, “I’ve got two words for you: Harry Potter.” And he became known for doing that.



 

7. He Pranked Daniel On Set

The actor also had a silly sense of humor. Rickman, actor Michael Gambon (Dumbledore), and director Alfonso Cuarón hid a remote-controlled fart machine inside Radcliffe's sleeping bag during a scene where there were many people on set. "I immediately thought: 'This is one of the other kids [messing] around, and we were going to get in trouble,'" Radcliffe later said. "But as it turns out, it was one of the members of Britain's acting royalty."



 

8. He Offered Advice To The Young Actors

The actor didn't shy away from offering advice based on his decades-long experience in the field of acting with his young costars. Daniel Radcliffe admitted that having Rickman around, especially at a formative age, was essential to his career.



 

9. He Impressed And Intimidated Everyone With His Method Acting

Rickman was so good playing Snape that his costars not only admired his acting prowess but were also a bit scared of how good he was at being someone else. 

10.  He Knew A Secret Of Harry Potter And Kept It Safe

Rowling revealed that she explained to him what the word 'Always' meant way before and it was a secret he kept with him. This secret was a huge turning point for his character that people found out only by the end of the series.