Alan Rickman Was Confused by Snape’s Original On-Screen Death, Candid Diaries Reveal: ‘Impossible to Comprehend’

thewrap.com:

always thrilled by the decisions made from page to screen. In fact, in new diary entries from the late actor, it’s revealed that he found Snape’s death in the final film “impossible to comprehend” in its earliest versions — and “unsettling to watch” in its final one.In new writings obtained by The Guardian, Rickman chronicles his experiences on the Potter set, dating all the way back to the beginning.

He recalls asking author J.K. Rowling for a private conversation on the phone to learn more about Snape, which of course went on to become infamous when Rowling and Rickman revealed years ago that he was told back then of Snape’s true motivations.According to Rickman, the knowledge that Snape was in love with Lily Potter “gave me a cliff edge to hang on to.” The actor also wrote of his admiration for Snape’s death in the books, calling it a “genuine rite of passage” when Harry Potter names his son in part for Snape.

But on screen, things nearly looked different. In the entries, Rickman noted that director David Yates was “stubborn” about Snape being killed by a spell at first — specifically, the infamous “Avada Kedavra” killing spell. “David Y stubborn as ever about V[oldemort] killing me with a spell,” Rickman wrote. “(Impossible to comprehend, not least the resultant wrath of the readers.)”In the end, it was Rickman’s wife Rima who helped avoid that particular means of death, arguing that “He can’t kill you with a spell – the only one that would do that is Avada Kedavra and it kills instantly – you wouldn’t be able to finish the scene.”As Potter fans well know, Snape eventually met his demise via Nagina, Voldemort’s giant snake.