„If I Had Known What’s Coming”. Harry Potter Actor Regrets Not Taking a Cue from Alan Rickman
The Harry Potter actor regrets that he didn't learn more about his character's fate before performing. He believes this could have helped his performance.
Harry Potter starred a number of talented actors whose performances captivated audiences. And the characters they played, which fans previously knew only from the books, brought to life by them became synonymous to them. However, while fans may be pleased with certain performances, the actors themselves can nevertheless take a critical approach to what they have shown on screen.
And so it is with Gary Oldman, who claims that his performance in Harry Potter was “mediocre”, as he told in the Happy Sad Confused program. The actor confessed years later that he regrets not taking a cue from Alan Rickman and reading J.K. Rowling's books to learn the fate of Sirius Black before performing. He believes that this could have helped his performance.
Maybe if I had read the books like Alan, if I had got ahead of the curve, if I had known what’s coming, I honestly think I would have played it differently.
Alan Rickman really knew everything about the character he was playing, thanks to his familiarity with the source material and the knowledge given to him by J.K. Rowling. As a result, he was able to portray Severus Snape in a complex way and shape him based on knowledge that was known to the character from the beginning and which would only be revealed to viewers later.
It's hard to judge now how knowledge of Sirius' fate would affect Oldman's performance. But despite the actor's critical approach to his acting, fans appreciate him in the role, which means a lot considering how likable Harry's godfather is.
