The Snape We Almost Got: MCU Star Was First Choice for Harry Potter's Iconic Role
Alan Rickman was not the first choice for Severus Snape, believe it or not.
Today, it is impossible to imagine anyone but Alan Rickman playing the talented and enigmatic Severus Snape.
But when the first movie was still on paper, the creators had a very different actor in mind, one who would undoubtedly give a unique interpretation of the fan-favorite character.
Initially, none other than Tim Roth aka MCU 's own Abomination was in talks for the role. Severus Snape is without a doubt the major and most complex character in the entire franchise.
While a clear antagonist and wizard to be feared throughout the series, he emerges as the most loyal and loving person in the final installment, a twist that no one but J.K. Rowling knew about when choosing actors for The Sorcerer's Stone.
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So when the casting team considered Tim Roth for the part, they didn't have much to go on.
In terms of age, Roth was more appropriate for the role, as he was much younger than Rickman, and Snape was only supposed to be 31 in the first film.
In addition, Roth must have had a successful audition, as he was offered the role. But the actor, who was already quite famous for his roles in such hit projects as Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, Four Rooms, and others, ultimately decided to turn down the role.
And this decision was not something that he would later come to regret, as it often happens in Hollywood. In fact, he had a very good idea of what he was doing.
"I just thought, 'I'll be on every lunchbox or whatever it is. And that will be it, really. I'll be known for that,'" he explained.
Roth didn't want one role to define his entire career. And he later told fans in a Reddit AMA that he stood by his decision.
"I think the better man for the job did the job," he wrote then.
The actor also added that his idea of Snape was very different from what Alan Rickman did. It definitely means that if Roth had landed the role, the Harry Potter franchise that we love so much would be a completely different series.
So it was probably for the best that Tim Roth passed on the role of the iconic Professor Snape.