Harry Potter star Tom Felton recalls incredible gesture Alan Rickman made on set on 10th anniversary of his death
Topics: Harry Potter, Film and TV
William Morgan
Featured Image Credit: Carley Margolis/FilmMagic
Topics: Harry Potter, Film and TV
It has been 10 years since the legendary actor Alan Rickman, known around the world for his talent and for stealing almost every scene he performed in, whether as the caustic Professor Snape in Harry Potter or the iconic scheming Die Hard villain Hans Gruber.
This week, celebrities from across the world of show business have been remembering Rickman, as it marks a decade since his death in 2016 at the age of 69.
A statement from his family at the time of his death said the star had been diagnosed with cancer (via the BBC).
One of his younger co-stars on Harry Potter, Tom Felton, who played fellow Slytherin Draco Malfoy and has since reprised the role for the Harry Potter and The Cursed Child stage show, paid a touching tribute to his former mentor in The Guardian, where he detailed an incredibly kind gesture Rickman made every day on set.
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"When I think about Alan, a smile always comes to my face," Felton wrote.
Despite initially feeling intimidated by Rickman because of his role as the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, he and the other young actors soon came under his wing.
"He was nothing but kind, genuine, seemingly unfazed by anything happening around us and always had time for everyone. I learned just as much – if not more – from Alan off-camera as I did when we were filming," he said.
Felton explained how he refused to have food sent to his trailer, writing: "Instead, he queued up for his own breakfast and lunch, head to toe in his Snape costume and wig, holding a plastic tray and waiting his turn in the usually very long line behind a carpenter, set decorator, burly cameraman and Gringotts goblin – an image I will never forget."
Although some big actors might have thrown a tantrum over being forced to slum it with the extras, the Fackham Hall star believes he was trying to lead by example and show the crew that they're 'all in this together. Equally'.
The 38-year-old continued: "He taught me a great deal about charity. He would often have half a dozen people visit the studio each day, and would claim they were his cousins or friends.
"Really, he was offering terminally ill children and their families a chance to see behind the curtains."
Last year, Daniel Radcliffe revealed how much Rickman supported his career post-Potter, even though the 36-year-old described being initially 'terrified' of the Galaxy Quest star.
After being shown a clip of Rickman talking about the child actors on Harry Potter, Radcliffe told Josh Horowitz on the Happy Sad Confused podcast: "I was so intimidated by Alan Rickman. How can you not be by that voice? Even hearing that voice, you forget quite how low it was until it echoes through you.
"I was so intimidated by him for the first three movies. I was terrified by him and was like, ‘This guy hates me.’ Somewhere along the lines, he saw that I really wanted to do this and work at it."
The Kill Your Darlings star then recalled the time Rickman once cut short a vacation to Canada to see him on stage in Equus, adding: "He saw every piece of stage work I did when he was alive."