10 Lies About Famous Movies You Probably Believe

8. Harry Potter

The Lie:"J. K. Rowling told Alan Rickman Snape's big twist. The undoubted hero of the Harry Potter series is Severus Snape, the seemingly one-note potions master who through a series of increasing reveals (he was a Death Eater, Harry's Dad bullied him) became the most well rounded character in the films. This all culminated in the final moment reveal that all along he'd been in love with Harry's mother, turning seven books and eight movies worth of a**ehole behaviour into hidden compassion. Of course, as the legend goes, Alan Rickman knew all this already; to convince him to take the role, series creator J. K. Rowling had told him all this way back at the start."

The Truth: She vaguely hinted at it. Once. We know Rowling does indeed plan ahead, with the first totally child-aimed book containing plenty of hints to later developments (Dumbledore's chocolate frog card mentions Dark Wizard Grindelwald), but more than that we know she (and publisher Bloomsbury) were very tight on secrecy. Which is why it shouldn't be surprising that while Rowling knew Snape would always be on Team Potter, Rickman certainly didn't.

The story originates from truth; when he was preparing for the role the writer gave the actor a hint that there was more to Snape than meets the eye. That's it - nothing that suggests he was going to form the central emotional crux of the finale. Rickman tried to debunk the myth in interviews, but the story still sticks.