Harry Potter star Alan Rickman’s journals REVEAL why he kept on playing Snape: It’s your story

The new revelation of excerpts from Alan Rickman‘s journals is giving the Potterheads a deeper look into the life of the late actor. The Guardian published glimpses of Rickman’s decade-long journey with the Harry Potter franchise and offers to shed some light on why the actor continued to work on the films even as he suffered from cancer and its subsequent health complications.

Back in 2005, before going into work for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Rickman was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer, per Variety. The actor started to receive treatment which led to the doctors removing his whole prostate during surgery. Weeks after returning home from the hospital, Rickman wrote in his journal, “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,'”

In another excerpt from 2007, Rickman penned his thoughts on Severus Snape’s heroic demise. He wrote, “… I have finished reading the last Harry Potter book,” he continued, “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.” 

As for more of Rickman’s writings, Henry Holt and company are set to release a collection of Rickman’s handwritten diaries Madly Deeply: The Diaries of Alan Rickman in October.

ALSO READ Harry Potter alum Matthew Lewis recalls late actor Alan Rickman’s heartwarming chat from his last day on set