Madly, Deeply: The Alan Rickman Diaries

Book Review Feb 21, 2024

My review

2/5 stars

Alan Rickman is someone I grew up watching. I first became aware of him as the Sherriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, then Professor Snape in the Harry Potter series. As I got older, he also became Colonel Brandon from Sense and Sensibility, Hans Gruber in Die Hard, Eamon de Valera in Michael Collins and Harry from Love Actually. In short, he was someone who felt very familiar to me, and I was curious to read his thoughts on life.

Sadly, the book didn't really do anything for me.

I found the piece-meal nature of the writing, with all of its abbreviations and shorthand, quite challenging to read. I actually put the book down for several months, read other books, and then came back to finish it in a second stint.

I found it interesting, and a little disappointing, that he seemed to be quite bored by his career choice at times. The vibe I got from the writing is that he found it all a bit tedious and often got frustrated that people only wanted to talk about his bigger works, like Harry Potter and Die Hard. It's a shame that he didn't appear to appreciate the fact that he had those works in the first place, something that a lot of people who choose that profession never get to have.

I did find going behind the scenes of some of his bigger movies interesting, and the book did a wonderful job of portraying just how busy a social life he and his wife/friends had. He always seemed to be having dinner with someone, or taking in a show with someone else. It must have been a fascinating life.

While I appreciate that these words were never written with the intention of being read by the masses, I still found myself struggling to take them in with a positive mindset. Sadly, I've come away from the book not entirely sure whether or not I'm a fan of Alan Rickman the person. I do, however, remain a fan of his many and varied works of art.

Book blurb

Alan Rickman remains one of the most beloved actors of all time across almost every genre, from his breakout role as Die Hard's villainous Hans Gruber to his heart-wrenching run as Professor Severus Snape, and beyond. His air of dignity, his sonorous voice and the knowing wit he brought to each role continue to captivate new audiences today.

But Rickman's artistry wasn't confined to just his performances. Rickman's writing details the extraordinary and the ordinary in a way that is anecdotal, indiscreet, witty, gossipy and utterly candid. He takes us behind the scenes on films and plays ranging from Sense & Sensibility, the Harry Potter series, Private Lives, My Name Is Rachel Corrie and many more.

The diaries run from 1993 to his death in 2016 and offer insight into both a public and private life. Here is Rickman the consummate professional actor, but also the friend, the traveller, the fan, the director, the enthusiast: in short, the real Alan Rickman. Here is a life fully lived, all detailed in intimate and characteristically plain-spoken prose. Reading the diaries is like listening to Rickman chatting to a close friend.

Madly, Deeply also includes a foreword by Emma Thompson and a selection of Rickman's early diaries, dating from 1974 to 1982, when his acting life first began.