Alan Rickman Was ‘Frustrated’ Over ‘Harry Potter’ Role: Find Out Why

The late actor Alan Rickman was fondly remembered for his role as Severus Snape in the “Harry Potter” movie series, and many have lauded his performance as the tortured professor who carried the torch for Lily Potter.

But in newly-discovered letters and notes penned by the actor, it was learned that Rickman wasn’t completely satisfied with his character’s portrayal.

Neil Pearson Rare Books recently acquired Rickman’s stuff, which includes notes, letters, photographs, diary entries, fan mail, and even scripts. These will all be auctioned off for £950,000 or more than $1,260,000, according to Entertainment Weekly.

In one letter, “Harry Potter” producer David Heyman thanked Rickman for making the second film from the franchise, “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” “a success.” Heyman said: “I know, at times, you are frustrated, but please know that you are an integral part of the films. And you are brilliant.”

Rickman went into detail about his role in a note called “Inside Snape’s Head.” In “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” Rickman revealed that he did not often see eye-to-eye with director, David Yates. “It is as if David Y. has decided that this is not important in the scheme of things i.e. teen audience appeal,” he wrote.

The memorabilia from Rickman also contains a letter from J.K. Rowling. “Just back from weeks away and had to send a line about what you wrote in the souvenir programme for Hallows II. Made me very tearful,” she gushed. “Thank *you* for doing justice to my most complex character…”

Rickman’s co-star, Daniel Radcliffe, who played Harry Potter in the films, also wrote several thank-you notes to the late actor for gifts received, including a book. “I can’t wait to read Catcher in the Rye,” penned Radcliffe.

During a 2011 interview with The Los Angeles Times, Rickman referred to his role as Snape as a “punctuation mark” in his life “because I would be doing other things but always come back to that, and I was always aware of my place in the story even as others around me were not.”

Rickman passed away on Jan. 14, 2016 after a battle with cancer.