by Madly Deeply is a rare invitation into the mind of Alan Rickman—one of the most magnetic, beloved performers of our time.
From his breakout role in Die Hard to his outstanding, multifaceted performances in the Harry Potter films, Galaxy Quest, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, and more, Alan Rickman cemented his legacy as a world-class actor. His air of dignity, his sonorous voice, and the knowing wit he brought to each role continue to captivate audiences today.
But Rickman’s ability to breathe life into projects wasn’t confined to just his performances. As you’ll find, Rickman’s diaries detail the extraordinary and the ordinary, flitting between worldly and witty and gossipy, while remaining utterly candid throughout. He takes us inside his home, on trips with friends across the globe, and on the sets of films and plays ranging from Sense and Sensibility, to Noël Coward’s Private Lives, to the final film he directed, A Little Chaos.
Running from 1993 to his death in 2016, the diaries provide singular insight into Rickman’s public and private life. Reading them is like listening to Rickman chatting to a close companion. Meet Rickman the consummate professional actor, but also the friend, the traveler, the fan, the director, the enthusiast; in short, the man beyond the icon.
summary courtesy of Goodreads
Madly, Deeply features a photo insert, a foreword by Emma Thompson, and an afterword by Rima Horton.
Madly, Deeply was one of the top ten books on my TBR this year and I have to say that it just about lived up to my expectations. To be fair to Alan, I had exceptionally high expectations. I also expected more of a traditional diary, whereas this was more of a planner with notes/poetry in the margins, which I can get down to.
I typically (read as only) read diaries of writers, so I was unsure what to expect from an actor’s journals. Turns out artists are artists are artists. Rickman chides himself with lines like “my casual cruelty again” and “my selfishness when working takes my breath away.” He was every bit of the dark wit I imagined him to be.
I enjoyed seeing the history of my childhood through his eyes. He wrote on the night Obama won the presidency for the first time: “52% of the US had a supreme act of imagination” and it made my heart hurt for the world we had and lost.
My favorite line, the one that’s going to be echoing around my head for a while-
“This is my head. It thinks it talks it charms. It worries it laughs it hurts. It has a hundred wonderful tricks. I am proud of it. This is my body. It is funny-looking. It malfunctions. It looks best in winter clothes. I have as little to do with it as humanly possible. Lucky for my body that I need it to chauffeur my head around. Otherwise out it would go.”
Alan Rickman
