One of the most popular movie quotes in my house is courtesy the late Alan Rickman. In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, he’s interrogated by Delores Umbridge.
“You applied first for the Defense Against the Dark Arts post, is that correct?” she asks. “Yes,” he drawls majestically, staring into the distance. “But you were unsuccessful?” she inquires. He hesitates a moment before deigning to answer with a gloriously icy “Obvious.”
Everyone seems to think he’s saying “Obviously,” but I don’t hear the “ly.” And somehow, “Obvious” is just next level shade. I try to say “Obvious” like that twice a week at least. I can’t do it with a fraction of his gravitas, but damn if it doesn’t feel good to try.
Maybe my favorite Alan Rickman role ever isn’t a piece of sneering villainy. It’s his hilarious turn in Galaxy Quest, as a classically-trained actor who can barely hide his contempt for the Star Trek-esque TV show that made him famous. The cast is unexpectedly transported into space by a group of aliens convinced that the show was real, and Rickman meets one that has patterned his whole life after the character of Dr. Lazarus. At first he’s got nothing but disgust for his groupie. But towards the end of the film, when the kid is dying in his arms, Rickman gives us a remarkable piece of acting. His character delivers the cheesy catchphrase from the TV show, but infuses it with such depth and feeling that it’s goddamn poetry.
I like to think that moment was Rickman reflecting on his legacy, generations of fans that would only ever see him as the bad guy. But that look of rapture on the kid’s face says it all. Maybe it’s worth being typecast if you can touch people so deeply, and find a way to elevate the material to another level. Rickman could take cheese and make it unforgettable, and he could take something outrageously over the top and make it something utterly human.
One word: “Obvious.” When you’re that good, one word is all you need.