# Does Alan Rickman \*act\*?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-alan-rickman-act/505040>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [August 2, 2009, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-alan-rickman-act/505040 "2009-08-02T07:32:52Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\
**Post date:** [August 3, 2009, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-alan-rickman-act/505040/41 "2009-08-03T20:41:28Z")

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Yes.

And the answer is found in one of the best HBO films, **Something the Lord Made** – the biopic about the black cardiac pioneer Vivien Thomas and his complex and volatile partnership with white surgeon Alfred Blalock (Rickman), the world famous “Blue Baby doctor” who pioneered modern heart surgery.

[http://www.hbo.com/films/stlm/](http://www.hbo.com/films/stlm/)

trailer:

[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/eUfOvjNTM2M/hqdefault.jpg "something the lord made trailor") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUfOvjNTM2M)

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**Author:** ![JKilez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e5b9ba/32.png) [@JKilez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKilez)\
**Post date:** [August 3, 2009, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-alan-rickman-act/505040/42 "2009-08-03T21:06:36Z")

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> [@gaffa](#):
>
> > [@ianzin](#):
> >
> > If you want to see a very different Rickman, try [Truly, Madly, Deeply](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103129/).
> 
> That is the one that jumped right to mind when I saw the thread title. They should have named it _Ghost - the non-suck version_. Alan Rickman playing a sweet, vulnerable guy.

This was the first movie I thought of as well. I have heard it described as the version of **Ghost** for smart people. It definitely is a good film.

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**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\
**Post date:** [August 3, 2009, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-alan-rickman-act/505040/43 "2009-08-03T21:49:10Z")

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> [@Sebastienne](#):
>
> Whereas I don’t think Christopher Walken is acting one bit.

Gah! Water! Nose! Keyboard!

And you’re absolutely right. I’d take it astep further and suggest Walken doesn’t even know he’s an actor.

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**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\
**Post date:** [August 4, 2009, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-alan-rickman-act/505040/44 "2009-08-04T03:00:53Z")

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> [@Inigo\_Montoya](#):
>
> Gah! Water! Nose! Keyboard!
> 
> And you’re absolutely right. I’d take it astep further and suggest Walken doesn’t even know he’s an actor.

That’s part of Walken’s charm.

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**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\
**Post date:** [August 4, 2009, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-alan-rickman-act/505040/45 "2009-08-04T03:11:47Z")

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Alan Rickman can do no wrong. In the Severus Snape thread, it is agreed 9 out of 10 women would hit that, correct?

Jog my memory, is there any other actor (or “actor”) who does what he does so well? With such a mellifluous voice? I would cringe to see him in a dumb slob movie just for the bucks.

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