With a name slightly less ordinary, he is hard to pin down and impossible to forget. An intellectual rambler, a hipster with classical British undertones, a peculiar face - neither handsome nor harrowing - that is beguiling in its oddity... He is well on his way to becoming the nerdy girl's celebrity crush and an actor whose film choice you trust so much, you could watch a film he's in without first sampling the trailer (so please, Mr. Cumberbatch, don't do what Colin Firth did with What A Girl Wants). He can make you hate, love, pity or be mystified by his character by the second frame. He is not pretty or even handsome (I say it so because of the predominance of the former to the detriment of the latter in modern Hollywood productions); yet he is, beyond a doubt, very talented.
Like Mr. Rickman, he is a latecomer to the Hollywood mainstream, appearing in Star Trek and The Hobbit when already in his thirties. And like Mr. Rickman in his time, he will portray villains in both of these films, which will probably captivate their cult audiences. Do you remember the Sheriff of Nottingham? Mr. Rickman plays flawed beings, especially villainous ones, so masterfully that you find yourself anxiously wondering about their fate. I certainly felt this way when watching Starter for Ten and Atonement (albeit those initially made it on my movie list because of James McAvoy).
Then there is the unmistakeable physical appearance. The high cheekbones, the sharp profile, the blue eyes of a pensive predator... I would have also added his height, but that may be a poor judgement because his male costars (including James McAvoy and Martin Freeman in Sherlock) have been of less than moderate height. And then, of course, the VOICE. Alan Rickman's voice is unique. Every generation ought to have a hero (or an anti-hero) with a cavernous voice to adore, and among today's hulky stars none come to mind. No, it should be an imperfect, pale, enigmatic Englishman - in his roles great, but not always good - who, while avoiding the limelight, is always stealing the spotlight.
Like Mr. Rickman, he is a latecomer to the Hollywood mainstream, appearing in Star Trek and The Hobbit when already in his thirties. And like Mr. Rickman in his time, he will portray villains in both of these films, which will probably captivate their cult audiences. Do you remember the Sheriff of Nottingham? Mr. Rickman plays flawed beings, especially villainous ones, so masterfully that you find yourself anxiously wondering about their fate. I certainly felt this way when watching Starter for Ten and Atonement (albeit those initially made it on my movie list because of James McAvoy).
Then there is the unmistakeable physical appearance. The high cheekbones, the sharp profile, the blue eyes of a pensive predator... I would have also added his height, but that may be a poor judgement because his male costars (including James McAvoy and Martin Freeman in Sherlock) have been of less than moderate height. And then, of course, the VOICE. Alan Rickman's voice is unique. Every generation ought to have a hero (or an anti-hero) with a cavernous voice to adore, and among today's hulky stars none come to mind. No, it should be an imperfect, pale, enigmatic Englishman - in his roles great, but not always good - who, while avoiding the limelight, is always stealing the spotlight.
