Alan Rickman had a very specific Emma Watson criticism in his diary entries

Charlie Herbert

The actor was pretty critical of all the child actors in the first few films

Alan Rickman was less than complimentary about some of his Harry Potter co-stars, singling out a young Emma Watson in particular for her acting ability.

The late actor was one of the most respected men in the acting world, and was famous for his roles in films such as Die Hard, Love Actually and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.

But for many, it’s his role as Severus Snape in the Harry Potter films that he is most fondly remembered for. He starred as the infamous potions teacher in all eight of the wizarding films from 2001 to 2011.

The actor passed away in 2016 at the age of 69, and since his death a number of his private journals have been made public.

In one of his entries, which was published in The Guardian earlier this year, Rickman revealed that he was actually quite unhappy working on the Harry Potter films and even came close to leaving the franchise.

He admitted to having several problems on set and struggled with everything from his working hours to his co-stars, particularly the child actors.

Alan Rickman was critical of Emma Watson (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Alan Rickman on Emma Watson’s diction

Although Alan Rickman had plenty of scenes with adult cast members, he also spent a lot of time with the younger actors on set, such as Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint.

He was critical of their ability to remember lines, and was particularly critical of Emma Watson’s acting ability. When discussing the children he shared scenes with, Rickman wrote:

“These kids need directing. They don’t know their lines and Emma [Watson]’s diction is this side of Albania at times.

“Plus my so-called rehearsal is with a stand-in who is French.”

These entries were written around the time of filming for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in 2004.

But it turns out Rickman had serious doubts about his role in the franchise and came very close to leaving after only a couple of films.

While filming the second installment, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, in 2002, the actor suggested a discussion was ongoing about him leaving the franchise.

He wrote: “Talking to [agent] Paul Lyon-Maris about HP exit, which he thinks will happen. But here we are in the project-collision area again. Reiterating no more HP. They don’t want to hear it.”

As we all know though, Rickman saw through the Harry Potter films until the end. This was because of Snape’s character arc, which JK Rowling had told him about years before it was revealed in the final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

It was Snape’s character arc that played a big part in making Rickman want to carry on in the role (Warner Bros. Pictures)

‘A genuine rite of passage’

In an entry shared from 2007, Rickman wrote: “I have finished reading the last ‘Harry Potter’ book.

“Snape dies heroically, Potter describes him to his children as one of the bravest men he ever knew and calls his son Albus Severus. This was a genuine rite of passage.

“One small piece of information from Jo Rowling seven years ago – Snape loved Lily – gave me a cliff edge to hang on to.”

Rickman’s diary entries are now available in the book ‘Madly, Deeply: The Diaries of Alan Rickman’.

Related links:

LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ with Aideen McQueen – Faith healers, Coolock craic and Gigging as Gaeilge