Beloved late actor Alan Rickman may be known for his skill and his perfect portrayal as Professor Snape in the “Harry Potter” films, but the actor did have some fun on set — despite Snape’s menacing demeanor. Rickman’s lighter side shows in plenty of behind-the-scene footages of “Harry Potter,” from bloopers to pranks to insight into the character of Snape. Let’s take a look back at some of Rickman’s most memorable moments out of character and having fun on the set of the blockbuster franchise.

    Rickman died last Thursday after a battle with cancer. He was 69 and is survived by his wife, Rima.

    Rickman helps

    prank Daniel Radcliffe

    Rickman has been remembered by his colleagues in part for his sense of humor, and an outtake of a prank during the filming of “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” proves it. Along with Michael Gambon, who played Dumbledore, Rickman pranks Harry Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe, with a fart machine.

    Rupert Grint doodles

    Rickman

    Rickman wasn’t always on the plotting end of pranks — early in the filming of the series, he was the subject of an “unpretty” doodle by a young Rupert Grint, who played Ron Weasley. Grint later said he had “exaggerated a few his features” but that Rickman “was really cool about it.” Rickman actually asked Grint to sign the doodle, and he kept it. “I’m very fond of it,” he said in an interview clip.

    Rickman talks

    about Severus Snape

    Fans often wonder just how much Rickman knew about Snape’s full story when work on the films began, when writer J.K. Rowling had only three of the “Potter” books completed. In a 2012 interview, Rickman said he spoke with Rowling before officially signing on, and as part of their talk, she revealed one very small piece of information that “let [him] know there was more to [Snape] than met the eye.” But Rickman promised he’d never share it, and he never did.

    It was after his death that Rowling told Twitter about the secret. Rowling replied to a fan on Twitter that she told Rickman the meaning of the word “Always” as spoken by him in the context of the movies.

    The famous quote “Always” refers to a scene in the final book, which reveals Snape’s enduring love for Harry Potter’s mother, Lily.

    “[It] helped me think that he was more complicated and that the story was not going to be as straight down the line as everybody thought,” Rickman told HitFix in an 2011 interview.

    The hint also gave Rickman an edge over everyone on set, including the producers.

    “It was quite amusing, too, because there were times when a director would tell Alan what to do in a scene and he would say something like, ‘No I can’t do that — I know what is going to happen and you don’t,’” David Heyman, who produced all eight films, told the Los Angeles Times.

    (SD-Agencies)