He Almost Didn't Play Severus Snape

Warner Bros.

Before she knew that her book series would become a worldwide phenomenon, J.K. Rowling admitted that she wrote the Severus Snape's character based off of Rickman's past roles. However, during the casting stage for the films, she agreed to have Tim Roth play the role, who was the studio's first choice.

Thankfully, Roth declined the role and decided to play a chimp in Tim Burton's rather sub-par Planets of the Apes. Rickman ended up with the role and nailed the part. Today, we can't imagine anyone else playing Snape.