It turns out Alan Rickman was capable of the kind of brutal putdowns his Harry Potter character Severus Snape would be proud of, if the comments he made about Emma Watson's acting in his soon-to-be-published personal diaries are anything to go by.
The late actor revealed he was so unhappy working on some of the Potter films that he discussed leaving the franchise with his agent.
He had serious problems on the Hogwarts set, and struggled with everything from his working hours to his co-workers.
Since his passing in 2016, an impressive collection of secret journals written by Rickman have been uncovered, lifting the curtain on what it was really like to work on the famous Harry Potter films.
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Although Alan had plenty of scenes with other adults - such as Maggie Smith (Professor McGonagall), Richard Harris (Dumbledore in the first two films), and Ralph Fiennes (Voldemort) - across the eight films, the actor also had to spend a lot of time with the younger actors on set - something, it seems, he would have preferred to avoid.
According to the recently uncovered journals, Alan had particular trouble with Emma Watson who, of course, played Hermione Granger in the films.
When discussing the children he shared scenes with, Alan wrote: "These kids need directing. They don’t know their lines and Emma [Watson]’s diction is this side of Albania at times."
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The revelations came while Alan and his colleagues were filming the third film in the series, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, in 2003.
Alan had to spend more time in this movie with his younger co-stars Emma, Daniel Radcliffe, and Rupert Grint than he had in previous, as Harry, Hermione, and Ron find themselves clashing with their teacher more than ever.
This wasn't the first time that Alan Rickman struggled on the set of the Harry Potter films.
While filming Harry Potter and the chamber of Secrets in 2002, Rickman wrote about plans to leave the franchise altogether, suggesting that it had been an ongoing discussion with production.
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He wrote: "Talking to [agent] Paul Lyon-Maris about HP exit, which he thinks will happen. But here we are in the project-collision area again. Reiterating no more HP. They don’t want to hear it."
But, despite his problems with production, Alan - thankfully - decided to see Harry Potter through to the end.
Fans will be pleased to know that the main factor that convinced Alan to stay was his character Snape's heartbreaking backstory and undying love for Lily Potter.
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In a 2007 entry, he wrote: "I have finished reading the last Harry Potter book.
“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.”
Alan Rickman's diary entries will be published by in the book Madly, Deeply: The Diaries of Alan Rickman on 4 October.
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Topics: Film and TV, Harry Potter
Ali Condon