Emma Thompson Says Alan Rickman’s Iconic Role Sparked Major Career Challenges

If you ever thought Alan Rickman just loved playing the bad guy, apparently you'd be mistaken. Turns out, the man behind some of cinema's most iconic villains actually got pretty tired of being the resident mustache-twirler.

Emma Thompson recently dished on this during a chat with GQ. She worked with Rickman on the 1995 adaptation of 'Sense and Sensibility,' and what really stood out was how much he enjoyed finally landing a role where he wasn't plotting anybody's doom. Thompson summed it up perfectly:

'Alan Rickman, God rest him, he was so happy to be playing someone heroic and nice. Because he was so fed up with people wanting him to be the Sheriff of Nottingham.'

Now, if you're racking your brain for just how legendary Rickman was at playing villains, let me jog your memory:

• Hans Gruber in 'Die Hard' — the ultimate blueprint for well-dressed terrorists.
• Severus Snape in the 'Harry Potter' series — the most complicated potions master you'll ever meet.
• Sheriff of Nottingham in 'Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves' — where he threatened to cancel Christmas and very specifically wanted to rip out Kevin Costner's heart with a spoon (still iconic, still BAFTA-nominated).

With performances like those, it's honestly no wonder he started getting typecast as 'the bad guy.' But here's the fascinating bit: Rickman could turn around and play a hero just as convincingly. And he loved it. Colonel Brandon in 'Sense and Sensibility' basically let him flex his inner softie for once. But it didn't stop there — he played the tender ghost boyfriend in 'Truly, Madly, Deeply,' the supernaturally exasperated Metatron in 'Dogma,' and, for the nerds among us, Alexander Dane/Dr. Lazarus in 'Galaxy Quest' (by Grabthar's hammer, indeed).

The takeaway? Hollywood might have loved Rickman for his villainous glare, but he was perfectly capable (and genuinely thrilled) to play the hero — and somehow, he always stole the show, whichever side he was on. If you're in the mood for a quick Rickman retrospective, now's as good a time as any to revisit his greatest hits.