Alan Rickman 'Harry Potter' ad: Remembering the late star's message

The stars of the Harry Potter film series posted on their social media accounts Thursday to remember the late Alan Rickman. Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe, and Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling paid tribute to their friend and collaborator, calling Rickman, who died from cancer at 69, “one of the loyalest and most supportive people” and “such a special man and actor.”

Years before his death, Rickman took his own time to honor those around him. The British actor, who played Hogwarts professor Severus Snape in all eight Harry Potter movies, made headlines in 2011 when he took out a full-page ad in Empire magazine to mark the debut of the final Harry Potter movie.

Rickman made note of the progression shown by Watson, Radcliffe, and Rupert Grint since the three stars’ introduction to the series as children. He nodded to Rowling and her role in the success of films, recognizing the impact of the stories.

“A lifetime seems to have passed in minutes,” he wrote. “Three children have become adults since a phone call with Jo Rowling, containing one small clue, persuaded me that there was more to Snape than an unchanging costume, and that even though only three of the books were out at that time, she held the entire massive but delicate narrative in the surest of hands.”

Read Rickman’s ad in its entirety below.