After his death in 2016 Rickman left a trove of revealing journals. In this exclusive extract he recounts his 10 years playing Professor Snape and the many political and Hollywood dramas along the wayrom 1972 Alan Rickman kept a pocket diary in which he noted appointments anniversaries opening nights and addresses. In 1992 he started to produce a much fuller account of his life and work and bought diaries from a local stationers that gave him a page a day to play with. These number 26 volumes several of which are colour fully and beautifully illustrated.
Why he kept a diary is unclear. Diarists come in all shapes and their reasons for recording their lives are similarly diverse. Some people want to bear witness to earth shattering events while others are content to detail what appears to be trivia but which with the passage of time acquires enduring significance. What follows is an edited account of the nearly 11 years defined by Rickmans role as Professor Severus Snape in the Harry Potter films.
10.30am Car to costume fitting/discussion. Measurements from hell after a month in Italy. Waltz around each other – higher collar? Blue fabric? Thinner arms? And off to Leavesden Studios. Chris Columbus [director], David Heyman [producer], Makeup dept waiting. Wig? Nose?Talk to Joanne Rowling again and she 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. She’s a channel – bubbling over with, “Well, when he was young, you see, this, that and the other happened” – never, “I wanted so & so … “
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