Simple Reason Harry Potter Casting Missed the Mark with Alan Rickman
Alan Rickman was a legend, but perhaps not the right actor to play Severus Snape in Harry Potter after all. Although the movies would have us believe otherwise, Snape was a peer of Lily and James
Alan Rickman was a legend, but perhaps not the right actor to play Severus Snape in Harry Potter after all.
Although the movies would have us believe otherwise, Snape was a peer of Lily and James – they belonged to different Hogwarts Houses, but were in the same year.
Book Severus was just 20 years old when he came to Dumbledore to beg for the Potters’ lives. Yes, that means he was already a Death Eater by that time (and a powerful enough wizard to fool Voldemort himself).
Another fun fact: Snape was 31 years old during Harry’s first year at Hogwarts. Alan Rickman was over 20 years older than the book version of the character in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone – he was 55! That’s some major age difference right there, and it changed everything.
The movies tried very hard to make us sympathize with the Potions Master, erasing his worst moments from the script and making him out to be a hero. However, the fact that he is over 20 years older in the movies doesn’t bode well for the character’s actions and motivations.
In the books, Snape is practically a teenager when he turns to the dark side, and he has only had a decade to mourn Lily, the love he lost, and build up his hate toward James.
In the movies, he has had two extra decades to work through his issues and grow up – so why didn’t he? Instead, in the first movie, Severus is a bitter middle-aged man, who has held a grudge for the longest time and continues to bully children because he can.
It’s hard to feel anything for this creep, let alone redeem him for his wrongs. It’s one thing for a teenager to make a mistake (even one as grave as joining the Dark Lord’s forces), and it’s another for a fully grown man to do so. This is one of the reasons why movie Snape’s redemption arc simply doesn’t work as well as it does in the books.
However, Alan Rickman brought such depth to the character. His deep voice, resentful glances, and mysterious demeanor have made Severus Snape a truly iconic character, and we don’t regret his casting one bit.
We do hope that the Harry Potter reboot will right this wrong – not only with Snape, but also with the Marauders and Lily – and cast age-appropriate actors in the respective roles. Fingers crossed.