Video: Tribute to Snape in Alan Rickman's own words
Ability and Accountability Blog

Like many of you, I woke up on a Thursday morning in January and saw the headline, "British actor Alan Rickman dies of cancer at age 69."

Alan Rickman played a wide variety of characters on stage and screen, but the character that touched my deepest emotions was that of "Professor Severus Snape" in the movie versions of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter novels.

I love a good story. But no good story is truly complete without the right villain. Rickman had the talent to be the right villain and so much more. (And was Snape really the villain?)

There are a lot of words and video clips being shared today under the headlines of his memory. This one is especially meaningful to me because it presents four minutes of Alan Rickman describing the character of Professor Snape in his own words. It is powerful and moving.

Special thanks to YouTube user MsSardonicus for sharing this excellent edited version.

Script from the video:

There was more to him than met the eye.

It's something unnameable

He lives within a very tight confines - emotionally, physically...

He lives a solitary kind of existence.

But you always knew there was an agenda; it was a question of what was that agenda going to turn out to be?

Mysterious

He's very focused.

Eventually, you get to find out who he is.

Innocence, Lost.

Resentful.

Anything

(Lily!)

(If you truly loved her)

(When you risk your life everyday to protect the boy...)

Responsibility

It's not so much what you choose to do, as not disobeying.

And what does this word 'Loyalty' mean?

(Always)

Vulnerable. But you're not really aware of it.

Brave. To the end.

(It's over.)

It's been a complete privilege.


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