The role Alan Rickman was “apprehensive” to accept
Whether portraying the enigmatic Severus Snape in the Harry Potter movies or one of the greatest villains of all time in the shape of the calculating Hans Gruber in Die Hard, Alan Rickman managed to transcend the limits of the screen and become a cultural force in his own right.
With a profound ability to convey a wide range of emotions with astonishing complexity with his deep and languid voice and eyes that showed an entire inner world, Rickman established himself as one of Britain’s all-time greatest actors with his impressive efforts in the likes of Robin Hood: Price of Thieves, Michael Collins, Love Actually and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
While countless blockbuster movies comprised Rickman’s filmography, it looks as though they were the smaller films with which he had more scepticism. In 2008, the iconic British actor starred in the comedy-drama movie Bottle Shock, directed by Randall Miller.
The film tells of a 1976 wine competition called the ‘Judgment of Paris’ in which Californian wine defeated French wine in a blind taste test. Rickman plays sommelier and wine shop owner Steven Spurrier, while Bill Pullman portrays the American vintner Jim Barrett.
In an interview with The Northern Echo, Rickman admitted that he didn’t have the widest knowledge of wine prior to starring in the film. “I didn’t know a lot,” he said. “I’m just like anyone else who goes out to the wine store to get a bottle of wine for dinner. I don’t sit around comparing wines with no relationship to eating, or friends, or functions.”
Rickman had been keen to take on Bottle Shock, explaining that the script had captivated him from the off. “I read it and kept turning the pages,” he said. “That’s what it gets down to a lot of the time. Sometimes, you have to take a shovel to get the page over. It’s a great story.”
However, there was also an element of apprehension in the actor, which arose from him not being familiar with the story. “I had no clue about it actually happening. It was full of rich, diverse characters that you can’t pin down, any of them, and complex relationships in a beautiful place. I was apprehensive at first, but then I knew it was based on somebody else’s script. You just trust sometimes.”
Check out the trailer for Bottle Shock below to see Rickman’s conflicted feelings about taking on the role.
