Alan Rickman - Something the Lord Made - Part 2

4. Alan Rickman, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II
If you weren't moved during the sequence wherein Harry learns the truth about Snape, then I don't know if we can be friends.

The British actor was still considering whether or not to take the role of the mysterious Hogwarts professor when he contacted the author to learn more about the character, and he admits Rowling gave him the pointers he needed about the end of the books - before she'd completed the seventh novel.

Speaking at the New York Times Arts & Leisure Weekend (07-08Jan12) he said, "I think it's true to say that she had put the ending into a safe right back then. She knew how it would finish.

"There's a lot of speculation about tipping me off about how Snape would end. Before I said I would do it I said I have to talk to her. I rang her up and she was with her sister at the time and said, 'I can't talk now,' so that's how much she kept it to herself; she said, 'We'll talk tomorrow'.

"Then we spoke the next day and she gave me one small piece of information that let me know that there was more to Snape than met the eye. I can't share what she told me because I promised her I never would and I never have."

The information prompted Rickman to sign on - and it gave him the insight he needed to create the "buttoned-up" character.

He adds, "I was very involved in the costume. I was very specific about it. I said the sleeves should be really tight and there should be a lot of buttons because that helped me with the idea that he has to actually be buttoned in... It was very important that... the buttons were tight."

DARREN CRISS, heartthrob of TV's "Glee," got a big laugh the other night during a performance at NYC's nightclub/eatery The Darby. Criss, who has replaced Daniel Radcliffe on Broadway, said: "It's funny that I'm in a show called 'How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying,' because I'm really trying!" (Apparently, his efforts are paying off. His appearance has "re-ignited" the box office at the Hirschfeld Theatre.)

Darren's gig at The Darby was a one-night-only special event, sort of "introducing" him to New York. He sang, played piano and guitar, melding smoothly with the club's marvelous five-piece band.
. . . .
Among the throng of fans were Alan Cumming, Parker Posey, William Ivey Long, Mo Rocca and Alan Rickman.

Today, The Daily Mail's Baz Bamigboye reports that Rickman is in talks to take the show to the West End. Producer David Ian says that unless Rickman leads the show, a transfer won't be happening.

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4. HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART II

Thank you Harry Potter for entertaining me for the last decade. And thank you Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II for allowing the movie to go out in style with one of the best films in the franchise. Fans who have followed the story received some great parting gifts in this last movie. Minor characters got to step up and deliver big scenes to give them their big farewell. We got giant action to finish off the series. And, most importantly, Alan Rickman got a chance to deliver an Oscar caliber performance in his final turn as the best character in the series.

There are a lot of people out there who refuse to give Harry Potter any credit because they are too cool to watch the movies or read the books. That is unfortunate for them because they are missing out on one of the best stories of our time. I never thought I would love it as much as I ended up loving it and I am happy I gave it a chance. The Harry Potter franchise concluded in 2011 and it went out with a bang.

Best Actors
1. Gary Oldman, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
2. Alan Rickman, Harry Potter
3. Tom Hiddleston, Thor
4. Michael Fassbender, Shame
5. George Clooney, The Descendants

And here I am, waiting for Alan Rickman to bring me a glass of champagne . . . well, no, it's the office, here in snowy Seattle, and Diet Coke for me tonight.

jessy400
Alan Rickman is watching the same movie a row behind me. (@ Angelika Film Center for The Artist w/ 15 others)

For Your Consideration: Alan Rickman in HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 2 – Rickman conveys more restrained emotion than any one else this year. He has limited screen time in a huge blockbuster and is able to bring tears to your eyes. Lets show some respect to a great ending in an entertaining series.

— “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2” is destined to get nothing but technical nominations.

All hopes for an Oscar best picture nod or a nomination for Alan Rickman seem pretty much dashed if even the British didn’t give it that kind of recognition. The final “Potter” film did receive BAFTA noms for best sound, production design, special visual effects and make-up & hair.

Seminar
One of the clear standouts on Broadway right now is Seminar, Theresa Rebeck’s fantastic new comedy starring Alan Rickman as a cynical onetime literary star who teaches a creative-writing course to a group of budding scribes on the Upper West Side. In your convo about the play, bring up ace creative-writing teacher characters from the past (Jeff Daniels in The Squid and the Whale and Michael Douglas in Wonder Boys come to mind) and weigh Rickman’s excellent performance against them. Then confirm your own literati status by discussing the heartbreaking new screenplay or book you’ve secretly been working on for the last ten years. (If you have nothing in the works, just lie. It’ll stay between us.)

Mr Nettleship discovered his link to Professor Snape when he was played by Alan Rickman in the record-breaking movie franchise.

He said at the time: “The first I knew was when a someone knocked on the door and said: ‘You’re Professor Snape aren’t you’.

“I suppose I was quite strict as a teacher, but I said to my wife: ‘They think I’m Professor Snape.’

“She said: ‘Of course you are – but I didn’t want to tell you’.”

“Quite a lot of my ex-pupils recognise the original character when they see the film. They come to me and say, ‘We saw you in the movie, sir’. But I just laugh about that. The great thing though is that Alan Rickman was picked to play the character and the ladies think he is good. That made things better.”

The best new plays now running should be on any theatergoer’s list. Seminar is Theresa Rebeck’s smart, fast-paced comedy about a pompous but oh-so-perceptive writing teacher instructing four aspiring novelists about how bad they really are … and how they could be great. As the sardonic anti-hero, the magnificent Alan Rickman commands the stage. At a climactic point, he delivers a monologue that could have seemed trite and mawkish, except that Rebeck’s writing is so strong and he’s such an accomplished actor it works wonderfully. Hamish Linklater provides a terrific foil, and Lily Rabe, as a tart upper-class dilettante, handles Sam Gold’s bullet direction masterfully. No one even pauses for the laughs. That’s a good way to get audiences back — so they can hear the jokes they missed this first time.

Seminar
The dark horse: Prolific playwright Theresa Rebeck (soon to get national exposure with Smash) is a master at plotting and zinger-filled dialogue, and her current comedy boasts an unbeatable cast led by God…er, Alan Rickman. Who would think that a play about a novel-writing workshop (!) could be such a crowd-pleaser?

Even Britfilm has its benign male spectre – Alan Rickman in Truly, Madly, Deeply, whose modus operandi is, rather than terrorising his bereaved girlfriend, behaving like a regular partner by inviting his ghostly pals back to her place to watch videos, and generally behaving like a slob. Like latterday vampires of the bloodless Twilight persuasion, these are the sort of ghosts you could probably take home to meet mum without giving her conniptions.

Here's something we know you will love! On Tuesday January 24th following the show, Leonard Lopate of WNYC will chat with the entire cast of Seminar On Broadway! Lily Rabe, Jerry O'Connell, Hettienne Park, Hamish Linklater, and Alan Rickman! Get your tickets for before it sells out. You don't want to miss out on seeing this.

Definitely sign up for Alan Rickman’s ‘Seminar’

Alan Rickman in 'Seminar' -- Photo courtesy of Jeremy Daniel
Seminar, Theresa Rebeck’s often hilarious new play currently running at the Golden Theatre on Broadway, features a performance from Alan Rickman that is masterful, witty and precise. It’s one of the best performances in an otherwise ho-hum Broadway season.

After watching Rickman’s impressive performance, I don’t feel a need to sign up for Leonard’s seminar. His painful rolls of the eyes are too much to handle. But watching him lampoon others is oddly (and selfishly) entertaining.

Alan Rickman as Severus Snape throughout the series created a character who was more profoundly complex than the other nominations in his category. Not only was the consistency and development of his performance almost unblemished across the series, but one of the greatest portrayals of the villain, with whom we empathise unfailingly at his demise. He should have got the Best Actor in a Supporting Role.

3. “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2.”

Directed by David Yates. Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint literally grew up on screen as Harry, Hermione and Ron, respectively, and the cinematic translation of J.K. Rowling’s books ends in high style with an all-out wizards’ war on the steps of Hogwarts. Incredible pacing with an emphasis on action, a perfect finale to eight films in 10 years. Alan Rickman stands out as Severus Snape. Potter finale deserves a Best Picture nomination. It won’t get it.

Best supporting actor

Sure things: Elder statesmen do well in this category, so expect to hear the names of Christopher Plummer (probably for "Beginners," not "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo") and Max von Sydow ("Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close"). Kenneth Branagh also seems likely on the ballot for his skillful impersonation of Sir Lawrence Olivier in "My Week with Marilyn."

Not so certain: I'm hoping the Academy will realize that it's their last chance to honor Alan Rickman's oozingly perfect work as Severus Snape; this time in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2"?

Best Supporting Actor

•Statuesque: Viggo Mortensen ("A Dangerous Method"), Christopher Plummer ("Beginners"), Kenneth Branagh ("My Week with Marilyn"), Ben Kingsley ("Hugo"), Albert Brooks ("Drive").

•Party-Crashers: Jonah Hill ("Moneyball"), Max von Sydow ("Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"), Patton Oswalt ("Young Adult")

•Long Shots: Jeremy Irons was flat-out excellent as the soul-devouring CEO in "Margin Call." And could we please give Alan Rickman some sort of prize for his wicked-good portrayal of Professor Snape in no less than eight Harry Potter movies? Dude deserves it.

Distinguished Thespian Alert: Although no actor has received an Oscar nomination for the Potter films, "Deathly Hallows" features a standout, tear-jerking performance by Alan Rickman, who transforms perfectly from the perpetually sneering "greasy-haired git" to the Severus Snape who can make us cry with just three little words: "Look at me."

Dan Radcliffe did his own campaigning for the Slytherin professor, saying in a press conference, "The performance I found the most moving was Alan Rickman's. I do think it’s the performance of his career ... I think he should get nominations for Best Supporting Actor because it's so touching and beautiful what he does." We couldn't agree more.

-- And finally: Alan Rickman, in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2." Sigh. All the love for "Hugo" indicates that the Academy isn't entirely opposed to supporting what's essentially a children's film. So what gives, Academy? What does this man have to do to get nominated?