Alan Rickman’s Incredible Charity Work on Set of ‘Harry Potter’

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Tom Felton, known for playing Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter films, recently honored his late co-star Alan Rickman, who passed away ten years ago from pancreatic cancer. In a tribute published by The Guardian, alongside memories from Brian Cox of Succession and Love Actually director Richard Curtis, Felton shared a touching story about Rickman, who played Severus Snape. Rickman would secretly bring children battling terminal illnesses onto the set, introducing them as family, providing a bit of magic during a difficult time. Felton says he’s never forgotten this kind act.

Alan Rickman showed me the importance of kindness. He regularly invited groups of people to the film set, pretending they were his relatives or friends. In reality, he was giving seriously ill children and their families a special behind-the-scenes experience. He also helped me understand that kids aren’t interested in meeting the actors themselves—they want to meet the characters they love.

I typically greeted nine-year-old visitors with a cheerful ‘Hello, how’s it going, mate?’ which always seemed to surprise them – they’d wonder why ‘Draco’ was so happy! Alan would then playfully tease them in front of their parents, maybe telling them to tidy their shirts and giving them a light tap on the ear. It was perfectly Snape – a bit intimidating, surprisingly funny, and fascinating to observe. He never showed a smile, but looking back, I suspect he was amused on the inside.

Alan Rickman, best known for his complex and compelling portrayal of Professor Snape in the Harry Potter films, died in January 2016 at age 69. He was also celebrated for roles like the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Hans Gruber in Die Hard, Grigori Rasputin in Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny, and Alexander Dane in Galaxy Quest. You can find a Rotten Tomatoes list of his ten highest-rated movies here.

The Time Alan Rickman Scolded Tom Felton for Stepping on a Wizard’s Cloak


Warner Brothers Pictures

This follows a story Felton shared about a scolding he received from Alan Rickman while filming Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. In the 2009 film—the sixth in the series—their characters are kept under close watch by Lord Voldemort, who orders Draco Malfoy to kill his greatest rival, Professor Dumbledore. However, Snape ultimately completes the task when Malfoy is unable to go through with it.

While promoting his 2022 memoir, Tom Felton shared a story about accidentally annoying his co-star, Alan Rickman. Felton recounted how Rickman eventually snapped, firmly telling him, “Don’t step on my cloak!” Felton initially laughed, and he and the other actors playing Death Eaters exchanged confused glances, wondering if Rickman was joking. It quickly became clear, however, that he was completely serious.

In a slightly strange direction, Half-Blood Prince director David Yates told the young actor to get as close as possible to Alan Rickman for the next shot. Almost instantly, the actor accidentally choked Rickman again – the cloak was fastened tightly around his neck – and Rickman glared at him with a look he’d never forget.

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Emma Thompson, a fellow graduate of the same drama school as Alan Rickman, recently shared with GQ that Rickman grew tired of being typecast as the bad guy after his popular role in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Luckily, he was offered the part in Sense and Sensibility in 1995, which gave him a chance to play a different kind of character.

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2026-01-25 14:48