Emma Watson's Lost Innocence
All child stars have a tough time growing up in front of the whole world, but for Emma Watson, the experience of turning 18 was downright traumatic, as reported in an old issue of one of my favorite magazines, The Week:
Emma Watson sometimes wishes she were still 17, says Louise Gannon in the London Daily Mail. The British actress has been playing Hermione Granger in the wildly successful Harry Potter films since age 9. Despite all the fame and riches, she managed to stay grounded, studying hard and keeping her private life private. But when she turned 18 in April 2008, the paparazzi in Britain were legally allowed to photograph her at will, and they pounced. "It was pretty tough turning 18," she said. "I realized that overnight I’d become fair game."
Emma ducking the paparazzi in London, April 2008
Suddenly her every move was being chronicled by photographers hoping to catch her in a compromising position. "I had a party in town and the pavements were just knee-deep with photographers trying to get a picture of me looking drunk, which wasn’t going to happen. I don’t actually like being drunk, particularly in public." She has been taken aback by the level of intrusion, starting the very day she came of age. "The sickest part was when one photographer lay down on the floor to get a shot up my skirt. I woke up the next day and felt completely violated by it all. That’s not something I want in my life. I just kept thinking that if it had happened a day earlier, people would have sued their asses off."
Emma Watson sometimes wishes she were still 17, says Louise Gannon in the London Daily Mail. The British actress has been playing Hermione Granger in the wildly successful Harry Potter films since age 9. Despite all the fame and riches, she managed to stay grounded, studying hard and keeping her private life private. But when she turned 18 in April 2008, the paparazzi in Britain were legally allowed to photograph her at will, and they pounced. "It was pretty tough turning 18," she said. "I realized that overnight I’d become fair game."
Emma ducking the paparazzi in London, April 2008
Suddenly her every move was being chronicled by photographers hoping to catch her in a compromising position. "I had a party in town and the pavements were just knee-deep with photographers trying to get a picture of me looking drunk, which wasn’t going to happen. I don’t actually like being drunk, particularly in public." She has been taken aback by the level of intrusion, starting the very day she came of age. "The sickest part was when one photographer lay down on the floor to get a shot up my skirt. I woke up the next day and felt completely violated by it all. That’s not something I want in my life. I just kept thinking that if it had happened a day earlier, people would have sued their asses off."