After taking on the role of fearsome Professor Severus Snape in the ‘Harry Potter’ film franchise, Alan Rickman admits that he himself once felt intimidated of playing French monarch King Louis XIV in ‘A Little Chaos’, which opens this Friday.
The period drama movie, which Rickman also directed, is expected to dig deep into the creation of the fountains at France’s famous gardens of Versailles in 1682. The 69-year-old actor has been joined by Kate Winslet, who takes on the role of an architect whose goals for the King’s grounds contradicts the notion that a woman is incapable of carrying out such task.
“It’s always hard when you play someone from a whole other country and background,” Rickman said.
He also explained the difference between performing for theater and acting for a film.
“But real terror, frankly, is standing in the wings of a theater about to go on for three hours, and no one says ‘Cut!’ if you screw up,” the British actor shared. “Being frightened is good, though. Acting should be about risky projects as much as it can be about entertaining.”
The upcoming period drama movie is the first time that Rickman and Winslet have starred in a project together since the release of 'Sense and Sensibility' in 1995, when the mother-of-three was only 19 year old. That time, Rickman was also famous for taking on villainous roles in ‘Die Hard’ (1998) as well as in ‘Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves’ (1991).
“For a director, Kate is an enormous gift, because she comes totally prepared, yet she also approaches a scene as if for the first time,” the actor shared.
He also mentioned that the 39-year-old actress had been pregnant with her third child during the filming of ‘A Little Chaos’ yet delivered an unfazed performance. While Rickman and the rest of the cast and crew could not help but worry, Winslet “accurately predicted” that she will be able to film her scenes with no issues at all.
‘Die Hard’, one of the most popular action movies worldwide, had been Rickman’s first Hollywood film. Menacing yet cool and composed, the actor was able to give terrorist Hans Gruber his own memorable image, associating such acquired ability with theater training.
Movies such as ‘Sense and Sensibility’ and ‘Truly Madly Deeply’ had drawn attention to Rickman’s romantic side whereas the sci-fi action comedy ‘Galaxy Quest’ highlighted the actor’s winning sense of humor.
With the arrival of the eight consecutive ‘Harry Potter’ movies, Rickman’s compelling portrayal of Snape brought in a new crowd of fans.
“All I had was a tiny image Rowling gave me that made me know I had to play in two directions at once. But there was something in him that indicated he wasn’t all he seemed,” Rickman admitted when asked about his portrayal of the Potions master.
The actor also has a piece of advice for creating characters and that is to strike a balance between order and confusion, thereby allowing one’s self to be free onstage while developing a strong sense of discipline.
Aside from Rickman and Winslet, other cast members of ‘A Little Chaos’ include Helen McRory, who co-starred in the ‘Harry Potter’ movies as Narcissa Malfoy, and Stanley Tucci, known for his appearances in ‘The Hunger Games’ films and ‘Transformers: Age of Extinction.’
