Alan Rickman relieved to play a 'decent' role after being typecast as a villain

Movieweb reports that Emma Thompson told GQ Alan Rickman was relieved to play a heroic, decent character in Ang Lee's 1995 Sense and Sensibility after years of being pigeonholed as an onscreen villain. Thompson suggested Rickman's performance as the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves haunted perceptions of him, and said, "Alan Rickman, God rest him, he was so happy to be playing someone heroic and nice.

Because he was so fed up with people wanting him to be the Sheriff of Nottingham." In Sense and Sensibility Rickman played Colonel Brandon, an introverted but noble gentleman opposite Kate Winslet's Marianna Dashwood and Greg Wise's John Willoughby. His best-known roles elsewhere include Hans Gruber in Die Hard and Severus Snape in the Harry Potter films, though the latter character ultimately became more than a straightforward villain.

Rickman's reaction to Snape's death is also recorded in his journal, published posthumously as Madly, Deeply in 2022.

Key Topics

Culture, Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, Die Hard, Severus Snape, Madly Deeply