Revelations from Alan Rickman's secret diary on 'Harry Potter' co-stars spark internet frenzy

Though Alan Rickman has passed, his legacy endures in the hearts of fans as the unforgettable Professor Snape from "Harry Potter." Following Rickman's death in 2016, private journals detailing his decade-long "Harry Potter" experience were revealed. All those entries from his pocket diary were compiled in a book titled "Madly, Deeply: The Diaries of Alan Rickman." The actor has maintained the journal since 1972 where he used to note down appointments, addresses and some important dates.

According to The Guardian, Rickman started writing other minute details and incidents from his day-to-day life in 1992. The editor of his diaries, Alan Taylor, revealed that Rickman might have been content with recording small things that gain significance with time. His entries about "Harry Potter" started in 2000 when he said yes to the role of Professor Snape. By September of that year, he had finished reading the "Harry Potter" book series and the filming started in October.

Rickman writes about attending the premiere along with other cast members of the film. He offered his impressions about his young co-stars like Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson. “Corridor with Dan Radcliffe. He’s so concentrated now. Serious and focused–but with a sense of fun. I still don’t think he’s really an actor but he will undoubtedly direct/produce. And he has such quiet, dignified support from his parents. Nothing is pushed,” he wrote in a diary entry dated May 2, 2003.

“The day got off to a fabulous start with the screen guillotining onto my head, a sudden, swift blackout followed by day-long melancholy. Alfonso was quietly ballistic with me. I love him too much to let it last too long so I wailed offset and we sorted it out,” Alan later wrote, referring to director Alfonso Cuaron. “He’s under the usual HP pressure and even he starts rehearsing cameras before actors, and these kids need directing. They don’t know their lines and Emma [Watson]’s diction is this side of Albania at times. Plus my so-called rehearsal is with a stand-in who is French.”

“Harry Potter 3. World Premiere,” he wrote on May 23, 2004, after the success of "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban." “Arriving at Radio City was like being a Beatle. Thousands of fans screamed as we got out of cars. Mostly for Daniel Radcliffe but a rush for everyone. Not to mention walking out onto the stage to 6,000.” He also described the death of Severus Snape in the book as a “genuine rite of passage”

Rickman doesn't give up on his most memorable role even after getting diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2005. In January 2006, he wrote about saying yes to the fifth "Harry Potter" film. The actor also recorded one lunch session he had with Radcliffe in December 2008 where he was in awe of how the child artist grew up into a "sensitive, articulate and smart" young man right before his eyes. One of his most poignant entries reflects on the last scene of Snape where he dies after Lord Voldemort orders his loyal snake Nagini to kill him.

“The Death of Snape. Nearly 10 years later," he wrote. “Stuart Craig’s boathouse [set] gave it something ironic and everlasting. As I said at one point to David–it’s all a bit epic and Japanese.” On March 29, 2010, Rickman penned down the surreal end to his journey on "Harry Potter." “All a bit hard to believe. I think even Daniel was shocked by the finality. Cameras were everywhere, it seemed (documentary ones). [I am asked] ‘So how does it feel?’ ‘It’s private,’ I managed. ‘And I’m not sharing it with that camera,'" he concluded.