Emma Watson Envies Non-Former Child Stars
Emma Watson has a 13-year acting career that most stars would be jealous of, but in a recent interview with Elle Magazine, promoting her new film Noah, she confessed that she's envious of adult actresses who don't have "former child star attached" to their names. Now 23, Emma, who grew up playing Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films, revealed that she sometimes wishes that she had begun her career as an adult, rather than a child.
"There are all these actresses who have emerged in the last year or two, and they get to emerge as this complete human being. And I'm so jealous!" she told Elle.
The eight-movie Harry Potter franchise spanned a decade from 2001-2011, almost half of Emma's life, and although she's had a successful post-Potter career - starring in well-received films like 2012's The Perks of Being a Wallflower - her most famous role will likely always be Harry's know-it-all, frizzy-haired sidekick Hermione. The notion doesn't sit well with her.
"I remember reading this thing that Elizabeth Taylor wrote. She had her first kiss in character. On a movie set. It really struck me," Watson recalled. "I don't know how or why, but I had this sense that if I wasn't really careful, that could be me. That my first kiss could be in somebody else's clothes. And my experiences could all belong to someone else."
Then and Now:
Emma (left) age 12 at the 2002 premiere of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and (right) age 22 at the 2012 premiere of Perks of Being a Wallflower
Growing up in the public eye certainly had its fair share of challenges. It was important to Emma to create a balanced personal life away from her character. So, following her completion of the blockbuster films, the actress got a long-overdue pixie cut and decided to take some time off from Hollywood and go back to school, taking courses on-and-off at Brown and Oxford universities.
"I love having something completely unrelated to the film industry," she told Elle. "I want to find something that will let me use my brain in another way. I like connecting people who aren’t part of that industry. I feel like I have so much more to accomplish as an actress. I'd love to try theater, and that's a whole other thing, and I love to sing. I've read just about every important classic in English history, which has been extremely handy. It's helped me think in an analytical way. It's helped me see the world from new perspectives. Diving into these stories and characters has given richness in my own life. And now, when I read scripts or look at stories, I have these references for a larger understanding of humanity, I'm sure it will make my job as an actress more interesting."
"There are all these actresses who have emerged in the last year or two, and they get to emerge as this complete human being. And I'm so jealous!" she told Elle.
The eight-movie Harry Potter franchise spanned a decade from 2001-2011, almost half of Emma's life, and although she's had a successful post-Potter career - starring in well-received films like 2012's The Perks of Being a Wallflower - her most famous role will likely always be Harry's know-it-all, frizzy-haired sidekick Hermione. The notion doesn't sit well with her.
"I remember reading this thing that Elizabeth Taylor wrote. She had her first kiss in character. On a movie set. It really struck me," Watson recalled. "I don't know how or why, but I had this sense that if I wasn't really careful, that could be me. That my first kiss could be in somebody else's clothes. And my experiences could all belong to someone else."
Then and Now:
Emma (left) age 12 at the 2002 premiere of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and (right) age 22 at the 2012 premiere of Perks of Being a Wallflower
Growing up in the public eye certainly had its fair share of challenges. It was important to Emma to create a balanced personal life away from her character. So, following her completion of the blockbuster films, the actress got a long-overdue pixie cut and decided to take some time off from Hollywood and go back to school, taking courses on-and-off at Brown and Oxford universities.
"I love having something completely unrelated to the film industry," she told Elle. "I want to find something that will let me use my brain in another way. I like connecting people who aren’t part of that industry. I feel like I have so much more to accomplish as an actress. I'd love to try theater, and that's a whole other thing, and I love to sing. I've read just about every important classic in English history, which has been extremely handy. It's helped me think in an analytical way. It's helped me see the world from new perspectives. Diving into these stories and characters has given richness in my own life. And now, when I read scripts or look at stories, I have these references for a larger understanding of humanity, I'm sure it will make my job as an actress more interesting."