In my opinion, Dogma stands as the best Kevin Smith film in his entire catalog, which is why it’s a shame that it’s so hard to get your hands on it. A big part of my love for the film comes from the late, great Alan Rickman’s unforgettable role as the angel Metatron. In a video recently shared online, Smith reminisced about a hilarious encounter with the Love Actually actor that revealed an unexpected tidbit about how the Harry Potter franchise star ended up living near Ralph Fiennes—aka Voldemort himself—in real life.
In a video posted to his Instagram, Kevin Smith reflected on how his friendship with Alan Rickman extended well beyond the Dogma set. Whenever the Silent Bob performer found himself in England, the Sweeney Todd actor would make an effort to attend his shows, showing his support in a way that always surprised the director. It was during one of these visits in London that Rickman shared a particularly amusing concern about his new apartment in New York City.
The Red State filmmaker fondly recalled a conversation with the scene-stealing Die Hard villain actor. Alan Rickman shared that he had finally caved and bought an apartment in New York but quickly realized there was a catch—he hadn’t considered the potential downside of moving into the same building as his friend and fellow star of the Harry Potter movies, Ralph Fiennes. As the Tusk filmmaker tells it, the late actor began:
‘I bought an apartment. I finally broke down and bought an apartment in New York, but there’s problems.’ I said, ‘What?’ And he goes, ‘I bought it in the same building as my friend.’ I was like, ‘Why is that a problem?’ He goes, ‘My friend is Ralph Fiennes.’ And I was like, ‘And?’ and he goes, ‘If the Harry Potter fans find out that Snape and Voldemort live in the same building, they’ll bring it down, don’t you understand?’
It’s both a hilarious and slightly terrifying thought—imagine the chaos if fans had discovered their favorite on-screen rivals/allies were neighbors. Kevin Smith laughed at the memory, calling the whole situation:
… Adorable.
And honestly, I agree with him. It’s an absolutely adorable story about the late, great English actor. Many arguably just know Alan Rickman for his stern and commanding portrayal of Severus Snape, which is understandable considering his iconic portrayal in the Harry Potter series. However, the Cop Out helmer’s story captures a more playful side of the actor that we fans didn’t often get a glimpse of—one who was very aware of the impact of his work on his admirers but still maintained his unique sense of humor about it all.
For fans of the Galaxy Quest star, this tale is a small but endearing insight into the man behind the characters they loved. While you can’t get your hands on a copy of Dogma without throwing down some major money, you can revisit Alan Rickman’s work in the HP franchise, as all movies are streamable with a Peacock subscription.
As for Kevin Smith’s latest film, The 4:30 Movie, is just hit theaters as part of 2024 movie schedule. It’s also available on all streaming platforms where you rent your movies.
