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" One of Alan Rickman&amp;#039;s most memorable performances, at least for generations like ourselves, was his portrayal of Potions Professor, Severus Snape, in the\u00A0Harry Potter\u00A0series. As we came to find out, there were many layers to the character, who although appearing hostile to Harry on the outside, was actually always just looking out for the young wizard. But how did Alan Rickman know to play Snape with such sophistication? Other than the fact that he was an incredible actor, of course. Because when the first film came out, only the first three books had been released, and nobody was any the wiser about Severus being a good guy. But some time before he died, Alan Rickman confessed that JK Rowling had entrusted him with a tiny, secret snippet of information about his character. And he kept to his word; never, ever revealing what she had told him. So following Alan&amp;#039;s death on Thursday last week, a fan asked JK Rowling what exactly it was she had told the actor. And much to everyone&amp;#039;s excitement, she actually answered:      @jk_rowling Will you tell us the piece of information that you told Alan Rickman about Severus Snape? Or will that forever be a secret? :-) \u2014 Sarah (@sarahrosefrank) January 18, 2016         I told Alan what lies behind the word &amp;#039;always&amp;#039;. https://t.co/NHTJ5J6kxb \u2014 J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) January 18, 2016    I don&amp;#039;t know about you, but that makes us feel all weepy. Because Alan knew all along what a good guy Snape was.  One fellow tweeter responded, saying the revelation had made them feel all emotional, and JK responded saying she agreed.      @AshleyKSmalls I know exactly how you feel. \u2014 J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) January 18, 2016    Rest in peace, Alan Rickman.\u00A0&#128546; Follow Cat on Twitter.  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.cosmopolitan.co.uk/entertainment/news/a40706/secret-snape-alan-rickman-jk-rowling/>