Alan Rickman, best known for playing Severus Snape, in the Harry Potter series wanted to quit the franchise his diary reveals. Six years after the British actor died of pancreatic cancer, parts of his diary will make their way into a book titled Madly, Deeply: The Diaries of Alan Rickman, which hits the shelves on October 4. 

Rickman speaks of how he wanted to leave after the Chamber of Secrets in 2002. 

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“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”, the Dogma actor wrote. 

However, he stayed on until 2011, remaining in the franchise even after his treatment for prostate cancer. An entry from 2006 reads, “Finally, yes to HP 5. The sensation is neither up nor down. The argument that wins is the one that says: ‘See it through. It’s your story.’” 

Rickman also expressed his thoughts about how Snape’s character changed over the novels and the depth of his feeling for Lily, Potter’s mother. “I have finished reading the last Harry Potter book”, an entry from July 2007 says, adding, “Snape dies heroically, Potter describes him to his children as one of the bravest men he ever knew and calls his son Albus Severus.”

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Rickman continues, “This was a genuine rite of passage. One small piece of information from [JK] Rowling seven years ago – Snape loved Lily – gave me a cliff edge to hang on to”. 

Previously, letters between producer David Heyman and the Die Hard actor came to light, showing how Rickman was frustrated by his Snape role. While working on The Half Blood Prince, Rickman wrote a note titled Inside Snape’s Head, where he says “It’s as if David Yates has decided that this is not important in the scheme of things i.e. teen audience appeal.”