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It’s been almost 13 years since the final Harry Potter movie was released, but those books and films still live on in the hearts of fans around the world. The stars of the franchise have gone on to other projects, with Daniel Radcliffe notably taking on many shows on the Broadway stage like Equuis, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and most recently, Merrily We Roll Along. The actor recently opened up about his Potter years and working with the late great Alan Rickman, who played Severus Snape. Apparently, Radcliffe was very intimidated by Rickman throughout, until they bonded later on.
The Harry Potter actor recently sat down with Josh Horowitz of the Happy, Sad, Confused Podcast, where he chatted alongside his Merrily We Roll Along co-stars about their current successful Broadway run. During the conversation, the host showed Daniel Radcliffe a snippet from before Alan Rickman passed away in 2016, during which he complimented the Miracle Workers actor on his talents as a performer. Radcliffe was flattered by the compliments but also noted how deep and intimidating the later actor’s voice was, saying:
I will say Alan was somebody I was so intimidated by Alan Rickman. How could you not be,. by that voice? Hearing that voice you forget quite how low that voice was until it echoes through you. I was so intimidated by him for the first three movies, I was just like terrified of him, I was like, ‘This guy hates me.’
Alan Rickman did indeed have an ominous cadence to him, so I can see why his younger co-star would believed that he disliked or even hated him at the time. Even though Daniel Radcliffe may have been intimidated by him while making the early films, the two became close as the former child star grew up and started taking on more serious and adult roles. The bond turned into a special one for Radcliffe, who appreciated the amount of support he received from the veteran actor while he was alive. The Weird star went on to explain how stage-acting served as a key connecting rod between him and his colleague:
Somewhere along the line, I think he saw I really wanted to do this, I really wanted to work at it. He cut short a vacation in Canada to come see me in Equus. He saw every piece of stage work I ever did while he was alive. He would take me out afterwards, we would talk about it. … I’m so, so lucky.
The Kill Your Darlings star wasn’t the only member of the Harry Potter cast intimidated by the Snape actor while on the set. Tom Felton, who played Draco Malfoy in the films, also has opened up about how scared he was of Alan Rickman when he first started out. It’s no surprise that the young actors felt this way. Rickman was tall and stoic and, of course, that voice was larger than life. Given the character he played, that aura likely also made him even more intimidating. Rickman from Snape were two different people, of course, but the actor played that role very well.
However, it seems like this intimidation changed a lot over the course of the films and as the child actors became fully formed adult performers. The deceased actor’s diaries were published in the years following his death, and they were very complimentary towards the cast. That was especially when it came to Daniel Radcliffe, who responded lovingly to those thoughts. The Die Hard icon also gave the core actors great advice when the movies ended, encouraging them to do theater. That clearly stuck with Radcliffe, who has become a prolific theater actor. It’s wonderful that he was not only able to flex his acting muscles on stage but also that said work sparked a special bond between him and his initially intimidating co-star.
Fans can revisit Alan Rickman and Daniel Radcliffe in the Harry Potter films, which are all now streamable with a Max subscription. You can also currently see Radcliffe on stage alongside Jonathan Groff and Lindsay Mendez in Merrily We Roll Along on Broadway, which just had its run extended through July 7, 2024.