'Harry Potter': Alan Rickman's Journals Reveal Why Continued Playing Snape Despite Illness: "See It Through. It's Your Story"

Over the weekend, Variety (via The Guardian) offered a preview for Alan Rickman‘s “Madly Deeply: The Diaries of Alan Rickman,” a collection of excerpts from the late actor’s handwritten journals, out next month. The upcoming book offers a distinct look into Rickman’s personal life, not to mention his succinct and scathing movie reviews. But most intriguingly, they also capture the actor’s long battle against prostate cancer and his choice to continue acting despite his illness.

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And no role of Rickman’s was in more jeopardy from the illness than Severus Snape, the Potions professor in the “Harry Potter” franchise. Rickman was first diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer in 2005, shortly before production started on “Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix. As the movie was filmed, he had his entire prostate removed but decided to stay on as Snape despite his battle. “Finally, yes to HP 5,” Rickman wrote in his journals. “The sensation is neither up nor down. The argument that wins is the one that says: ‘See it through. It’s your story.”

Rickman’s choice to see the series through to its end in the two “Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows‘ movies stemmed from him knowing his characters entire arc. “… I have finished reading the last ‘Harry Potter’ book,” he wrote in 2007. “Snape dies heroically, Potter describes him to his children as one of the bravest men he ever knew and calls his son Albus Severus. This was a genuine rite of passage. One small piece of information from Jo Rowling seven years ago – Snape loved Lily – gave me a cliff edge to hang on to.”  

Reading these excerpts, it’s clear that Snape served as an anchor for Rickman as he fought his illness. But “Potter” author J.K. Rowling also shared backstory about the character with Rickman as early as 2000. “[Rowling] nervously lets me in on a few glimpses of Snape’s background. Talking to her is talking to someone who lives these stories, not invents them,” Rickman wrote in an entry from that year. He also gave a brief reviews of “Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone” in his journal that year, too. ““The film should only be seen on a big screen,” Rickman wrote. “It acquires a scale and depth that matches the hideous score by John Williams. Party afterwards at the Savoy is much more fun.”

Rickman’s rose to cinematic fame as Hans Gruber in 1988’s “Die Hard,” Bruce Willis‘ main adversary at Nakatomi Plaza. Another early villain for the actor was the Sheriff Of Nottingham in “Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves.” Other acting credits include “Truly, Madly, Deeply,” “Galaxy Quest,” “Love Actually,” and “The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy.” Rickman died on January 14, 2016 in London at the age of 69. He was battling pancreatic cancer at the time at making a full recovery from prostate cancer.

“Madly Deeply: The Diaries of Alan Rickman” releases on October 18, from Henry Holt And Company.