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Stars like Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson have delivered powerful tributes to the late Alan Rickman—who passed away from cancer this week—documenting his incredible impact on not only their lives but everyone around them, too.
In fact, we came across another Harry Potter star's letter to the late actor that reciprocated those emotions, touching our hearts and opening our (teary) eyes to the ways in which this man helped people on so many levels.
Sean Biggerstaff shared a 20-year friendship with Rickman and can honestly dedicate the majority of his career to him, having first helped him land a role at just 13-years-old. Alan later got Sean in touch with his agent who eventually helped him in landing the role for Harry Potter, too.
"When we got on set, (That set. That fucking glorious world of Jo Rowling's mind brought to life so that we could walk around in it and touch it and be part of showing it to the entire world)," Sean wrote, "Alan introduced me to practically every great British actor I'd ever heard of. Telling them, ‘this is my boy.'"
As years went on, he and Alan built a strong bond, traveling and seeing many plays together. Alan would constantly help Sean with scripts and insight and advice for his career, despite whatever he was doing or working on at the time.
"In twenty years, all my experience of Alan was like this," he said. "He'd be on a mad press trip round the world, having just finished a broadway show and be about to start shooting a film - with several other projects as an actor, director, writer, board member, mentor bubbling away in the background - and if I needed anything he would immediately spend hours of his time helping me. AND, amazingly, I know of at least a dozen other people who had this same relationship with him."
Sean continued, "He was our fairy Godfather. He was the whisper in the right ear at the right time. He was the reassuring message when he sensed, always correctly, that we needed it most. He was new head shots or carpets or travel money when times were tough. How he found the time, let alone the will for all this is a mystery to me. He was the most generous, wise, supportive, talented, charismatic, empathetic person I think I've ever known."
The last time Sean saw his dear friend was for a date to the thearter, which he upheld (as always) despite having just spent 10 days in the hospital, unbeknownst to Sean.
"That evening when we parted, I hugged him and told him I loved him and I'm very glad of that now," Sean revealed before concluding, "On Monday morning I will start rehearsals for a new play. It will be the first time since I was thirteen years old that I have engaged in such a project without being able to call on Alan for advice and support and I am utterly terrified. I can only hope that enough has rubbed off that I'll be able to take it from here. I'm honestly not so sure…
Goodnight, Alan. I will miss you every day."
Chills.