Harry Potter: Alan Rickman remembered by Matthew Lewis

Neville Longbottom seemed to be a frequent target of Severus Snape throughout the Harry Potter series, but the off-screen relationship between Neville actor Matthew Lewis and star Alan Rickman was the opposite.

Lewis previously eulogized Rickman after the actor’s death in January, but in a new interview with FAULT Magazine, Lewis revealed he found out the news while visiting the set of Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them with one of the producers.

“We were both just completely stunned. But also, to be in the studio when that came through, suddenly every room that I went into, every corridor that I walked down on, I suddenly remembered a story or an image of Alan,” Lewis told FAULT Magazine. “It got a bit odd. It was quite surreal. But also, powerfully moving as well. It was quite nice to be there. All those happy memories came flooding back and I got quite nostalgic actually.”

The 26-year-old Lewis recalled drinking tea with Rickman on his last day on the Harry Potter films. “He just offered me advice in where I should go and he said some things to me that filled me with a lot of confidence,” Lewis added. “And when you hear those sorts of things from someone of his stature, his ability, it means a lot.”

After Rickman’s death, Lewis and fellow Harry Potter stars Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson mourned the loss of their colleague and friend. “He inspired my career more than he ever knew and I’ll miss him,” Lewis said at the time.

Read Lewis’ full FAULT interview here.