Tim Roth As Severus Snape (Photo Credit – Wikimedia/Instagram)
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The role of Severus Snape in the Harry Potter film series is so closely tied to Alan Rickman’s unforgettable portrayal that it’s hard to imagine anyone else in the part.
However, before Rickman donned the flowing black robes, the role was actually offered to another acclaimed British actor, Tim Roth.
Today we celebrate the birthday of the late Alan Rickman, who played Severus Snape in the Harry Potter films.
Roth, at the time, was an established talent with a string of critically acclaimed performances under his belt. But while he was approached for the part, he ultimately turned it down, paving the way for Rickman, who was not only J.K. Rowling’s top choice but also someone she had envisioned as Snape from the beginning.
Rickman’s deep, deliberate delivery and commanding presence became one of the defining elements of the Harry Potter films, making it difficult for many fans to picture anyone else in the role.
A post on the r/TodayILearned subreddit reignited the conversation, with some arguing that Roth’s intense performances in past roles could have made for a compelling, and perhaps even more book-accurate, Snape.
It read, “Today I learned that Tim Roth was offered the role of Snape before Alan Rickman. Do you think he could’ve pulled it off?”
One fan responded, “Tim Roth is a fantastic actor, and I have no doubt he would have crushed it as Snape.” Another added, “There is no doubt that the late Alan Rickman did a fabulous job, seriously I can’t imagine any other person portraying Snape, but Tim Roth was several years younger than the late Alan Rickman, who would have been more accurate to the original character.”
Others, however, insisted that Rickman’s performance was irreplaceable, with one fan noting that while Roth might have brought a different take to the character, nothing could surpass Rickman’s “immaculate” portrayal.
“Yes, I think Tim Roth would’ve been a great Snape. Not better than Rickman’s, his portrayal of Snape was immaculate, but different and still great,” they wrote. “Roth has done other roles with Snape’s dark and gloomy disposition, and he’s closer to book Snape in both age and appearance, so he’d have that going for him.”
Interestingly, some fans suggested that Roth might have been a better fit for Remus Lupin rather than Snape, arguing that David Thewlis’s version of the beloved Defense Against the Dark Arts professor lacked the depth they had hoped for.
“I love Tim Roth, but I would have actually cast him as Lupin over Snape,” one fan penned. “I didn’t like the actor they used as Lupin at all. I can see that he would do a great job as Snape, but I would rather see him as Lupin just because I don’t think that role was done justice. Man, he’s too old for any of that generation at this point, so can’t hope for the new show.”
While we’ll never know how Roth’s Snape or Lupin might have turned out, it’s clear that Harry Potter fans love to speculate on what could have been.
