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20 May 2022, 13:47
Alan Rickman set pulses soaring when he starred in the Texas music video 'In Demand' opposite Scottish singer Sharleen Spiteri back in 2000.
The Millennium Bug was a mere distant memory, the Millennium Dome was brand spanking new and the British indie scene was at its peak.
But many people have forgotten 2000 is also the year acting legend Alan Rickman starred in a Texas music video opposite Sharleen Spiteri - and the resulting footage is an absolute masterpiece.
The revered actor won a BAFTA an Emmy and a Golden Globe starred in some of the most famous films of recent times.
Film credits include Love Actually, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Die Hard and Sense and Sensibility and playing Professor Snape in the Harry Potter franchise, yet his Texas debut is a hidden gem.
The actor plays the older, former lover of a woman (Spiteri) who, as the song reveals, was treated badly by Rickman's character in their relationship.
The woman reveals she was not appreciated by her partner and is now being approached by new men to take his place - hence she's 'In Demand'.
The video opens with Sharleen and Alan in the backseat of a car as it speeds over London's Blackfriars bridge.
Rickman strokes her hair as she sings and embraces him, before the pair stop for petrol and perform a stunning tango filled with sexual tension in the station forecourt.
Speaking about how the video came about, Spiteri recalls having a brainstorm about the single, when serendipity intervened.
“We were having a meeting about the video and who I should tango with and our friend composer Michael Kamen popped his head around and said, ‘I was on the phone with my mate Alan Rickman. He’s a big fan’, she told NME.
“And it fell into place, we remained great friends and I miss Alan greatly, and I still hear his voice."
The appearance in Texas' music video marked the beginning of a long friendship between Alan Rickman and the Scottish singer.
Watch Alan Rickman's appearance in Texas' 'In Demand' video below:
Texas - In Demand (Official Video)
In 2015 Rickman sang on the band's 25th anniversary album, Texas 25, and his voice can be heard on the opening track, 'Start A Family' and the actor starred in the song's accompanying music video, 15 years after his 'In Demand' debut.
“We’re celebrating 25 years. What’s not to like about that? We had done a version of 'Start A Family' and thought it would be interesting to do something a bit different," Spiteri told The Daily Record in 2015.
“That’s when I called and asked Alan if he’d like to do a bit of singing, which he laughed hysterically at.
"He went, ‘Really?’ I went, ‘Really, Alan, we need your dulcet tones, so get your his a**e down here’.
Texas - Start A Family
The entertainment industry was suddenly plunged into mourning when Alan Rickman died of pancreatic cancer on January 14, 2016 at just 69-years-old.
The actor left behind his beloved wife, Rima Horton, a former Labour Councillor.
They had been together since they were just 19-years-old and had lived together for 35 years, marrying in secret in 2012.