Beloved English actor Alan
Rickman passed away earlier this month at the age of 69 (he would have turned
70 next month). He shall definitely be
missed. He was an easy celebrity to
like. He has a refined and charming
personality, and he has this terrific, distinctive accent that everybody finds
adorable and which other celebrities (e.g. Benedict Cumberbatch) love to
impersonate. Most importantly, he’s an
“important” actor – and a genuinely talented one at that. Now, there are only four movie characters
that he portrayed that I extremely liked: Hans Gruber in Die Hard, the Sherriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: The Prince of Thieves, Alexander Dane/Dr. Lazarus in Galaxy Quest, and Severus Snapes in the Harry Potter movies. But he played these four characters to
perfection, making them too memorable and striking that they were already enough
to establish and solidify his reputation in the world of cinema and winning
movie fans’ hearts.
Among these four Rickman
characters, my most favorite is Alexander Dane.
I acknowledged that Snapes is arguably the most complex and iconic –
maybe even the best – and it’s either him or Hans Gruber whom Rickman is most
associated with. But Dane was the
character that I enjoyed the most.
To those who aren’t familiar with
the classic Galaxy Quest, it’s a brilliant
science fiction satire that centers on the cast of a Star Trek-esque TV series
called Galaxy Quest (hence, the title of the movie). Eighteen years had already passed since the
show was cancelled, but it still has a dedicated following, and the washed-up cast makes their living by making appearances in fan conventions. Meanwhile, an alien race that has no concept
of fiction called Thermians got hold of broadcasts of the show. Mistaking the episodes as historical records
of the cast’s space adventures, the Thermians solicit their help to save them
from a race of genocidal reptilian aliens led by the warlord Sarris.
Rickman’s character, Alexander Dane, is an actor that
plays the show’s Spock analogue named Dr. Lazarus. A capable Shakespearean actor, Dane is bitter
of the fact that he’s only known for playing the character of Dr. Lazarus. He loathes his character and the unavoidable
inconvenience of being required to wear his character’s prosthetic headgear
during appearances in conventions. But
as the movie progresses, he learns to overcome these and – along with his
co-cast members – be the hero that the Thermians need.
Again, Rickman’s other iconic
characters are pretty great, but Alexander Dane really stood out for me. It’s probably because: a.) unlike the other Rickman characters,
Alexander Dane is a hero. Sure, Snapes
is eventually revealed to be an ultimate hero in the end, but he was mostly antagonistic
for most of the story. Dane was handled
as a hero right from the start; and b.) being an English actor, Rickman
has this theatrical flair and aristocratic charm present in his
characters. This was also true with
Alexander Dane but this was primarily done for comedic effect rather than a flavorful layer. Dane was a comedic role for Rickman, but this was accomplished by retaining the “Rickmanian” element in the performance and not by resorting to cheap, idiotic,
self-ridiculing slapstick.
Thus, in my book, Alexander Dane is
the most hilarious and most unique character Rickman ever played on film. His acidic attitude, the sharp remarks, the
various expressions of resentment and bemusement in his face… priceless! Most importantly, the arc on Alexander Dane
was pretty great – how he learned to embrace the character he passionately abhors in order to become a bona fide hero in real life.
Rest in peace, Mr. Rickman. Thank you for the great performances and delightful
characters – especially Alexander Dane.
For the last time, “By
Grabthar's hammer, by the suns of Warvan, you shall be avenged!”
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