Harry Potter’s Matthew Lewis has come a long way since the storied film franchise ended back in 2011, having put in some strong performances over the past few years. One can imagine that Lewis has looked to veteran actors over the course of his career, and this was the case when it came to late co-star Alan Rickman. The accomplished actor has been gone for over five years now, but his legacy lives on. And Lewis recently recalled a sweet moment he shared with Rickman on the late actor's last day on the Harry Potter set.
Matthew Lewis seems to have had an interesting relationship with Alan Rickman. While the two shared the screen for over a decade, Lewis admitted to being too shy to really connect with the late actor until the last Harry Potter film. He spoke on his last day with Rickman on the set:
On [Rickman’s] last day, I went to his trailer… And I just said to him, ‘Hey, I know it’s your last day, and I just wanted to say this has been incredible, to have worked with you for this long. I know that we’ve not really spoken very much, but I just wanted to say it was because I terrified but you were incredible. I just want to say thank you for allowing me to work with you for 10 years and not ever shout at me or treating any of us as anything less than your equal. And he was like, ‘Come on in.’ And he put the kettle on, and we had a cup of tea and we chatted about what I was going to do in my career moving forward and what he recommended I do.
Hearing Matthew Lewis speak about his time with Alan Rickman is bittersweet and, admittedly, it's sad to hear him beat himself up for not connecting with Alan Rickman sooner. Still, it's nice to know Rickman gave Lewis some career advice, which was a wonderful way to cap off their time together.
During his interview on the Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum podcast, Matthew Lewis cherished the small moment he shared with Alan Rickman. Lewis said about his brief time with his co-star:
I’m so glad I did that. I wish I’d done it five years earlier, you know what I mean? But at least I can say I did that. I never did that with anyone else.
One can only imagine what it's like to get advice from a performer as accomplished as Alan Rickman. The man was an absolute legend, having starred in films like Die Hard, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and Sweeney Todd on top of his perfect role as Severus Snape in Potter. Needless to say, Rickman built quite a legacy, one that Matthew Lewis clearly admired.
Aside from Alan Rickman’s keen advice, Matthew Lewis has been discussing information about his time filming the Harry Potter series. Despite loving his tenure as Neville Longbottom, the actor revealed some of the less glamorous parts of it, like wearing body padding and fake teeth during his teen years as the films continued. He's also revealed that he had a tough time getting out of the shadow of the franchise after it was over. Still, it wasn't without its perks, as Lewis even admitted to stealing a cool memento from the set of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.
Matthew Lewis’ time on Harry Potter proved to be very fruitful for his current career, and it’s nice to know Lewis was able to conquer his fears and create a moment with Alan Rickman. As a result of his courage, he now has a memory that he'll likely hold on to for the rest of his life.
