Movies - TV
Alan Rickman Secretly Did His Own Script Editing On Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves
By JOE ROBERTS
1991’s “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” failed in its attempt to rebrand the classic English hero, becoming better remembered for Kevin Costner’s mullet and what co-star Alan Rickman called its “glorious mixture of accents.” While the movie had many flaws, Rickman’s performance was a highlight, thanks to the actor taking the script into his own hands.
Rickman asked his friend, playwright and screenwriter Peter Barnes, to look at the script. The actor recalled Barnes’ suggestion: “He said ‘well, here where it says you’re coming down the corridor and you’re wiping the scar off of the statue — you should have a wench in a doorway, and then you should say, ‘You. My room, 10.30,’ and then turn to the other wench and say, ‘You, 10.45.’”
Ruby Wax, Rickman’s longtime friend, added a tag to Barnes’ “10.45” line by suggesting: “And bring a friend.” After telling director Kevin Reynolds about the new line, Rickman received free rein to add whatever he liked. When the actor delivered his line, he recalled, “I knew it had worked because as I cleared the camera I saw about 80 members of the crew just go [laughing gestures].”