Emma Watson is getting real about the acting world.
In a recent interview with People magazine, the 35-year-old “Harry Potter” star reflected on her acting career and the parts of the job she has missed since taking a step back from on-screen work.
While looking back on her career as a child star, Watson admits, “In some ways I really won the lottery [with acting],” and that what she experienced was “so unusual,” but noted that there were parts of the job she is happy to leave behind.
“But a bigger component than the actual job itself is the promotion and selling of that piece of work, this piece of art,” she explained. “The balance of that can get quite thrown off. I think I’ll be honest and straightforward, and say: I do not miss selling things. I found that to be quite soul-destroying.”
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Watson shot to stardom when she starred as Hermione Granger in the first “Harry Potter” movie, at the age of 11. She went on to play the character in all eight films in the franchise, turning 21 when the final film was released in 2011.
After the franchise ended, Watson continued appearing in starring roles on the big screen, most notably as Belle in Disney’s 2017 live-action remake of “Beauty and the Beast.” Her most recent feature film was the 2019 adaptation of “Little Women,” in which she played the eldest sister, Meg March.
“But I do very much miss using my skill set, and I very much miss the art,” she said. “I just found I got to do so little of the bit that I actually enjoyed.”
When speaking with People, Watson explained that actors often feel the need to “fracture yourself into multiple personalities,” noting that in addition to becoming the character they are playing on screen, they also deal with “having the weight of a public persona.”
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The public persona often requires “constant feeding and sprucing and glamorizing.”
“It’s very energy-intensive stuff. And shedding the multiple identities has freed up so much space, I think, for me to be a better sister, daughter, friend, granddaughter and then artist,” she said. “And someone who’s trying to do some critical thinking of her own.”
In October 2022, Watson’s “Harry Potter” co-star, Tom Felton, released his memoir, “Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard,” with Watson penning the foreword.
In the foreword, Watson touched on her close friendship with Felton, sharing that the two of them have always “loved each other in a special way.” She referred to him as her “soulmate,” and added that their friendship is “one of the purest loves I can think of.”
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“You know that person in your life who makes you feel seen? That person who is somehow a witness to all that unfolds? That person who knows – really knows – what is happening to you and what you’re going through, without anything having to be said? For me, that person is Tom Felton.”
