Thursday we got news of the passing of theatre and film legend Alan Rickman, just days after fellow Brit artist David Bowie lost his battle with cancer, Rickman succumbed to the disease at the same age, 69.

The internet was flooded once again with tributes, condolences, anecdotes and information on lesser-known parts of Rickman’s legacy.

Emma Watson, one of his Harry Potter co-stars, tweeted about how sad she was to hear he had passed and how lucky she was to have met and worked with him. She also tweeted some of his quotes, including one on feminism:

That didn’t sit well with some who took to Twitter to argue that Watson was somehow exploiting Rickman’s death to push her own agenda. While these people are clearly trolls, they also don’t know Alan Rickman as much as they may think. He was a very mainstream movie star, but he was also quite vocal about his progressive politics.

Die Hard with a Social Conscience

For most people, Alan Rickman was and will always be Snape in the Harry Potter films. For me, though, he will always be Hans Gruber, the German leader of a group of high-tech thieves masquerading as terrorists in the original Die Hard (not going to say spoiler alert on a movie released in 1988).

This was also Rickman’s introduction to Hollywood film acting. At age 41, he was already an established stage actor and agreed to play Gruber for one main reason, which I first learned about yesterday: the film’s treatment of its black characters:

“Every single black character in that film is positive and highly intelligent. So, 28 years ago, that’s quite revolutionary, and quietly so.”
– Alan Rickman in The Guardian

Playing Gruber turned Rickman into a movie star, but becoming top Hollywood talent didn’t turn off his desire to do things artistically for the right reason, even if it meant not playing it safe career-wise. This became crystal clear in 2005.

My Name is Rachel Corrie

American-born Rachel Corrie travelled to the Gaza Strip in 2003 as part of the International Solidarity Movement. The 23-year-old was there to protest Israel’s illegal demolition of Palestinian houses. An Israeli soldier ran over her with an American-made bulldozer, killing her.

Two years later, Rickman and Katharine Viner, a writer and editor at The Guardian (now its editor-in-chief) compiled writings in Corrie’s diary and emails she sent back home to the states and turned them into a one-woman play, My Name is Rachel Corrie, which Rickman directed. It was a success when it first opened in England at London’s Royal Court Theatre and in other places including Haifa.

The New York Theatre Workshop had planned to stage the US premier of the play Off Broadway, but “postponed” it after pressure from Zionist groups. Rickman didn’t accept that and got quite vocal in the media:

“Calling this production ‘postponed’ does not disguise the fact that it has been cancelled. This is censorship born out of fear, and the New York Theatre Workshop, the Royal Court, New York audiences — all of us are the losers…Rachel Corrie lived in nobody’s pocket but her own. Whether one is sympathetic with her or not, her voice is like a clarion in the fog and should be heard.”
-Alan Rickman

alan rickman rachel corrieRickman and Viner, with support from Rachel’s parents Craig and Cindy Corrie, coordinated a global series of readings called Rachel’s Words. Full disclosure, I was part of the Montreal event which combined readings of Corrie’s emails and diary entries with a verbatim theatre retelling of what happened with the New York production.

My Name is Rachel Corrie did eventually open in New York properly in 2006 at the Minetta Lane Theatre in Greenwich Village. It also ran in Montreal presented by Teesri Duniya in 2007 and the same production moved to Vancouver in 2008. It is still being performed around the world, the most recent staging happening in 2015.

Now think about this for a moment. The whole time that Rickman was busy editing, directing and eventually fighting for a play that he believed in by standing up for both a work of art and Palestinian solidarity, something that could cause him problems with some potential audiences, he was also starring in and doing promo for uber-mainstream Harry Potter blockbusters.

Talk about multitasking. Talk about dedication to a cause no matter what else is going on in your life. Rickman embraced his celebrity status but didn’t let it prevent him from doing the work he knew needed to be done.

While most will remember Snape, Gruber and his other unforgettable roles, it is important to also remember Alan Rickman’s work on My Name is Rachel Corrie and the fact that he was a man of principle who brought his progressive beliefs to his work. That’s what he would want us to remember.

RIP Alan Rickman (1946-2016)

There are stars, legends, and then there’s David Bowie.

I was speechless.

My roommate got a text from her best friend that read “David Bowie is Dead.” Of course I had to check the facts, this can’t possibly be true. Just last week we lost Lemmy, now Bowie!

This can’t be real, an elaborate hoax to boost album sales, a mean trick for sure. I am sad to say it’s true. David Bowie is dead. Confirmed, fin. Cancer, he died of cancer before midnight today.

He was born David Jones on January 8th 1947 and died at age 69 on January 10, 2016, his life went full circle. died right after his birthday that he shared with Elvis, now they are together.

Bowie never faded, he sparkled till the very end, I didn’t even know he was sick. He just released Black Star, his 47th album. The video was so dark and abjectly weird, like much of his work, I loved it. In retrospect it was an ominous last piece that will linger forever, the final opus of a true genius.

Bowie is an otherworldly icon of mass proportions, he is a creature like no other, a magnetic innovator, provocative, androgynous, super star, pop icon, LEGEND. Without him the world wouldn’t have been the same.

He exploded into pop culture as pale waify English dandy boy and never looked back. He was whimsical, bold, charismaticaly fearless, and purely bewitching. Complete gender bent perfection, the makeup, hair, and elaborate costumes, a sensational freak, a rock star beyond rock and roll, he trended before trending was a thing. There will never ever be another like him. His soulful sexy voice resonates beyond music, it is magic, soothing and power evoking.

He rose to fame with Space Oddity in 1969, makes sense, he is not from this planet. Ziggy played guitar, well hung, a snow white tan. I can see why Iman, a statuesque goddess in her own right, married him in 1992. David Bowie was endowed in SO many ways. The Man Who Fell to Earth confirmed what we all knew was under that obvious buldge in Labyrinth.

I remember being absolutely moved by his performance in Labyrinth as a kid. That movie had a huge impact on my young mind. It was released in 1986, the year I was born. It was a profoundly bizarre piece of cinema, the Goblin King was always my favorite, kind of creepy and totally wonderful.

bowie albums

I even loved him as Andy Warhol in the Basquiat movie, it was a small part, but totally funny and a part only Bowie could have pulled off. And who could forget his cameo in Zoolander! There is just so much I can’t mention it all. You know that though, you love him too.

What can I say about the influence David Fucking Bowie had on my life: wow. I had a giant Alladin Sane poster hanging on my wall through the most tumultuous years of my life. My cat’s name is Ziggy. He is the reason why glitter is my favorite color.

I regret every day that I never got to see him live. He came to Buffalo when I was in high school and I couldn’t afford it. I probably would have cried when he started to sing.

As a burlesque performer David Bowie is crucial to my success, I have danced to his music many times. Rebel Rebel was one of my first performances. His makeup and style inspired my own exploration of fashion. I tore my dress right off during the show, my hair was a mess, and my mother was completely in a whirl. I related to his words and basked in the weirdness, he made it ok.

If you have ever been on stage you have been influenced by David Bowie. I can hear the hearts of my family of performers when they hear the sad news of his passing. A lot of shows will be dedicated to him in the coming days. He was truly important.

Goblin King, Goblin King, wherever you may be… rest in peace you beautiful soul, thank you for changing us all with your magnificent art and godlike presence Thank you for being a true original in a bleak plastic world. You have inspired us all to be ourselves and bravely do what we feel, no matter how weird it seems. You blazed trails, you said it best every time and looked incredible while doing it. You sir, will never be forgotten.

“I don’t know where I’m going from here, but I promise it won’t be boring”

David Bowie 1947-2016