Which means they cast Snape a leeeeetle too old. I mean, don't get me wrong; I think Alan Rickman was born to play that role. And his makeup makes him look younger than he is (though perhaps not THAT much younger). But it is striking how much older he is -- and appears -- than the character should be.

Which, now that I think about it, applies to Sirius and Lupin. (I don't really remember how Harry's parents look in the movies.)

Again, though, I'm fine with it, because the actors were excellent. It's just interesting.

t edit Ye gods, Rickman is 65. That man is my mother's age.

Which means they cast Snape a leeeeetle too old.

Rather, which is why Thewlis and Oldman are also too old for the roles--they must have given up on the conceit that the Marauders were so young as soon as they cast Rickman. So long as you can claim Snape, Black, and Lupin are the same age (although I think Rickman is actually older), it doesn't matter how old they actually are.

65! Wow, he's older than I thought. Well, the makeup and hair do a good job: I would have put Snape as late 40s.

Rather, which is why Thewlis and Oldman are also too old for the roles--they must have given up on the conceit that the Marauders were so young as soon as they cast Rickman. So long as you can claim Snape, Black, and Lupin are the same age (although I think Rickman is actually older), it doesn't matter how old they actually are.

That, too. I'm not sure what you said is what I meant, but I totally agree with it.

IMDB tells me that Oldman is 53, and Thewlis is only 48. Dang, Alan Rickman, you get on with your AARP self!

I imagine 10 years in Azkaban, dealing with life as a werewolf, feeling responsible for the death of your One True Love, prematurely ages a man.

Another way of looking at it, if we're seeing the series through Harry's eyes: all teachers are ancient!

I'm going to see Captain America tomorrow night with StW (the guy I'm dating, for the non-Bitches).

Another way of looking at it, if we're seeing the series through Harry's eyes: all teachers are ancient!

I like this retcon!

The transitions in PoA are just so elegant and keep the flow of the movie moving forward. Even the end credits were the best.

In the trivia section of IMDB, I think, it's mentioned that Warwick Davis switches from playing the Spells professor to being the choir director because the was no part for the Spells Professor in the movie, but the director wanted Warwick in the movie, so he invented the role for him.

About the Marauder's Map, I do wish it had been explained who they were. I just caught on to the fact that Sirius was one of them because of a throw-away line in H-BP! Then IMDB filled in the rest.

So if Oldman is 53, he was only 32 in R&GaD.

Man, he was attractive back then. Still is, but not in the same way.

IO9 really like Captain America. They did describe it as a war film with superpowers, which gives me teensy pause, since I don't like war films. But I like superpowers, so I'm in.

I thought it was amazeballs.

Rickman didn't start his film career until he was in his 40's. IMDb tells me he was 42 when Die Hard was filmed, and 44 during Truly, Madly, Deeply. He was doing and theater and some TV before that, it looks like. Boy, was he ever attractive back then. He still is, even in his 60's.

I wasn't even aware of the Harry Potter fandom when the first film was cast. I wonder if the Snape-centric part of the HP fandom was already thriving, pre-Rickman.

All the adult actors were all pretty amazing in the film. That said, having the Marauder generation played by older actors loses something in the translation -- life in full bloom cut short, etc. Even Lupin's late 30's is supposed to be quite young by wizarding standard, I think.

Huh. I was looking at Thewlis's wiki page and came across this bit:

He also is often mistaken for fellow actor Rhys Ifans: "Twice a week, people come up to me and say, 'You were great in Notting Hill'. The public seem to think we are the same person."[2] Friel's new partner is Rhys Ifans as of February 2011.

I didn't know he split up with Friel (she played Chuck from Pushing Daisies) or that Friel is dating Ifans now, who played Xenophilus Lovegood. British film industry is a tiny, incestuous place.

I'm still sad that the Potter films had Helen McCrory and couldn't find a place for Damien Lewis. Well, I guess he was too old to play one of the Weasleys.

Well, I guess he was too old to play one of the Weasleys.

Yeah, although now I'm fantasizing him as Bill in a few years.

If they'd gone for younger Marauders, he would have made a great Lupin, I suspect. He does leashed power really well. (Pun intended.)