She landed the dream role as Harry Potter’s heroine Hermione Granger at the age of 10.
But now 25 years later, Emma Watson has made rare comments about life as a childhood star which was both ‘frightening’ and ‘soul-destroying’.
The 35-year-old, who starred alongside Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint in the best-selling JK Rowling series, said: ‘I think I worked so hard for so long that my life sort of bottomed out.
‘The bottom fell out of the piece, which was actually me and my life. So I needed to go and do some construction work. And, if I’m being honest, I was mostly just really afraid and quite scared.’
Following further movie roles Emma took a step back from the spotlight to focus on her academic pursuits at Oxford University where she studied Creative Writing.
Of her decision to leave acting behind Ms Watson said: ‘I think I’ll be honest and straight-forward, and say: I do not miss selling things.
Emma Watson has made rare comments about life as a childhood star which was both ‘frightening’ and ‘soul-destroying’ after finding fame in Harry Potter
The 35-year-old, who starred alongside Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint in the best-selling JK Rowling series (pictured in the first film)
‘I found that to be quite soul-destroying. But I do very much miss using my skill-set, and I very much miss the art. I just found I got to do so little of the bit that I actually enjoyed.’
She made her comments in an interview earlier this year with Hollywood Authentic while in Cannes and said: ‘The most important thing, really – or the foundation of your life – is your home and friends and family.
Earlier this year Emma’s father warned the parents of the new Harry, Ron and Hermione of the ‘impact of fame on children’ as filming for the HBO TV series begins.
The latest leading trio were finally announced this week after months of speculation – with Dominic McLaughlin landing the title role, while Arabella Stanton is set to play Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout will portray Ron Weasley
Emma’s dad Chris told Times Radio: ‘As a parent, you have to be scared … This can be a very difficult thing for a parent and child to handle, or not.
‘It certainly helped that I don’t actually watch movies, it’s not a big thing in the house, and so it was easier for us to keep her feet on the ground.’ He added: ‘Normal life continued as far as possible: her homework would go back to school on motorbikes, admittedly, but she had to do her homework and check in.’
JK Rowling gave her approval to the trio cast as the new child stars of the multi-million-pound TV adaptation – after previously giving short shrift to racists complaining about producers’ picks.
There has been some online backlash against what has been branded ‘woke’ reinterpreting of the wizarding franchise based on the seven bestselling books by Rowling, 59, which prompted eight movie versions.
She said: ‘The bottom fell out of the piece, which was actually me and my life. So I needed to go and do some construction work. And, if I’m being honest, I was mostly just really afraid’
Earlier this year Emma’s father warned the parents of the new Harry, Ron and Hermione of the ‘impact of fame on children’ as filming for the HBO TV series begins
The latest leading trio were finally announced this week after months of speculation – with Dominic McLaughlin landing the title role, while Arabella Stanton is set to play Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout will portray Ron Weasley
But the multi-millionaire author yesterday gave her first public response to the new Harry Potter television casting announcement, with showbusiness insiders suggesting she would have a key role in the new productions.
One fan took to X, formerly known as Twitter, asking the bestselling author to inform the new recruits the wizarding franchise’s creator felt about their casting.
And now Rowling has responded by declaring: ‘All three are wonderful. I couldn’t be happier.’
The writer was replying to a tweet which said: ‘@jk_rowling @streamonmax @harrypotter Please tell Dominic, Arabella and Alistair that they are already loved by the fandom and we can’t wait to see the show! We wish them all the best and that they have a magic time.’
The new adaptation will be spread across seven seasons, equal to the number of books – although there were eight films with the final Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows split into two parts.
The HBO TV show is said to be costing £75million per episode – and the three child actors taking the lead roles have been tipped to land themselves even bigger fortunes than the original stars.
