The movie scene that drove Alan Rickman “insane”
Better known for playing the iconic role of Professor Severus Snape in the Harry Potter franchise, Alan Rickman was one of British cinema’s greatest actors. Yet, just like any actor best known for playing one role, Rickman has a wealth of underappreciated work, having collaborated with the likes of John McTiernan, Ang Lee, Neil Jordan, Kevin Smith and Anthony Minghella all before he got to the gates of Hogwarts.
Rising the ranks of the industry in the late 1970s and 1980s, Rickman was a thespian at heart, appearing in adaptations of Thérèse Raquin, The Barchester Chronicles and Romeo and Juliet before his career truly kicked off. Remarkably, his appearance as the insidious villain Hans Gruber in 1988’s Die Hard was his feature film debut, with the popular action flick considerably raising his profile.
Such might explain why he felt so much friction with the performance of his co-star Rowan Atkinson on the set of Richard Curtis’ Christmas favourite Love Actually in 2003. In an ABC News Special from 2022, Curtis spoke about how the Mr. Bean star drove Rickman “insane” during the scene when Atkinson’s character takes a tediously long time to wrap the latter character’s present.
“Rowan was just taking his time,” Curtis recalled in the interview that celebrated the movie’s 20-year anniversary, “So he would do 11-minute takes”.
Taking a considerable amount of time to improvise whilst Rickman stood there waiting, Curtis recalled how “[Rowan would say], ‘Let’s go back and do that. Let’s start again.’ And poor Alan was there all the time going, ‘Grr, ugh’”. Thankfully, Rickman’s frustration plays perfectly into the scene, with his impatience coming through in his final performance, awkwardly waiting for Atkinson’s character to finish applying pointless flourishes to his gift.
Rickman starred alongside a terrific ensemble in the film, appearing not only with Atkinson but also with Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Emma Thompson, Bill Nighy, Liam Neeson and Keira Knightley. The movie remains a favourite from the filmography of Curtis, who has become known for his saccharine romantic comedies that started with Four Weddings and a Funeral in 1994.
Love Actually is something of an anthology film, telling several stories about love during the festive period that eventually entwine at the movie’s conclusion. Rickman’s sub-plot is probably the strongest of the bunch, following his fling with his secretary whilst his wife looks after the kids at home, a well-told emotional tale, the story also includes the film’s greatest comedy moment, the aforementioned scene when Atkinson’s store clerk goes to ridiculous efforts to wrap his customer’s gift.
Take a look at the iconic scene from the movie below.
