One of the downsides of getting older is watching inspirational figures from your life grow old and pass away, often before their time. Yesterday it was Alan Rickman.
I think the first thing I ever saw him in was Truly, Madly, Deeply. Not the kind of thing I'd normally have watched at that age, but it broke my heart (and is probably partly responsible for so many of my romances being so tortured and barely snapped back from the edge of tragedy only to fulfill the requirement of a HEA/HFN). It's the kind of story I love to write - the kind that will tear your heart out, rip it to pieces, and yet leave you tearfully happy at the end.
Other memories: my husband proposed to me after seeing Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves as we stood under a tree in the rain, and the theme song was played as our dance music at our wedding. Some of my favourite moments in that film came from Rickman's unique Sheriff of Nottingham: the threat to carve out Robin's heart with a spoon because it would hurt more, and cancelling Christmas. Also his awesome portrayal of an embittered Shakespearean actor whose most famous role was as a rubber headed alien in the scifi spoof Galaxy Quest (one of my all time favourite films even now) and the truly cold-hearted villain in Die Hard.
But it was his potrayal of Snape in Harry Potter that made me truly adore him: more of a hero than any other character because he spent so many years being hated and seen as a traitor. Yet he stuck to the cause for the sake of the woman he loved, even though she didn't love him. It's ironic that one of the most popular memes is his quote about being 80 and in his rocking chair reading Harry Potter, and when his family ask 'still?' he would say 'always'. Now it will never happen. Another tragic loss, both for those who adored the actor and his characters, and for his family. I just hope they know how much he was loved.
Truly, Madly, Deeply. Always.
No comments:
Post a Comment
I always love to hear your thoughts.