Alan Rickman praises "great" J.K. Rowling

Alan Rickman has shared a letter he wrote after filming his final Harry Potter scenes as Severus Snape.

Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint were highly spoken of in the document, published in Empire magazine.

"I have just returned from the dubbing studio where I spoke into a microphone as Severus Snape for absolutely the last time," he remarked. "On the screen were some flashback shots of Daniel, Emma, and Rupert from ten years ago. They were 12.

"I have also recently returned from New York, and while I was there, I saw Daniel singing and dancing (brilliantly) on Broadway. A lifetime seems to have passed in minutes."

Rickman also recalled how author J.K. Rowling had shared information about the character of Snape with him.

"Three children have become adults since a phone call with Jo Rowling, containing one small clue, persuaded me that there was more to Snape than an unchanging costume, and that even though only three of the books were out at that time, she held the entire massive but delicate narrative in the surest of hands," he said.

"It is an ancient need to be told in stories. But the story needs a great storyteller. Thanks for all of it, Jo."

Rickman will return as Snape when the final film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two, opens in cinemas in the UK and US on July 15.

> Potter character's death location changed

Watch the trailer for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two below: