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1. A bright child star———2000s Harry Potter film series stage

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1. A bright child star———2000s Harry Potter film series stage

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Hermione Granger was the first and one of the most impressive character Emma Watson shaped on the screens. The persona of Hermione was considered highly coherent with the image of Watson since then even up to now.

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The stunning adapted Harry Potter film series has won Emma great fame and fortune, including but not limited to a Young Artist Award and three MTV Movie Awards. Moreover, she was ranked among the world’s highest-paid actresses by Forbes and Vanity Fair, and was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time in 2015 (Wikipedia, 2023).

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Hermione Granger was listed on Hollywood's 50 Favorite Female Cha racters list 2017 (The Hollywood Reporter, 2017). As one of the greatest witches, Hermione was praised for her courage, wisdom, reliability, justice, agressiveness, capacity and confidence.

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Emma Watsons interview | Hermione Granger

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This is an interview clip where Watson talked about her feeling of playing as Hermione in HP series. In this video, she showed a confident, straightforward, and smart image as a rising child star.

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Emma Watsons interview | Hermione Granger

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Emma Watson is such a baddie 🥹✨Slayy#edit #fypシ #fypシ゚viral #fyp #viral #popular #videos #shorts #trending #wizardingworldofharrypotter #harrypotter #hermio...

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Emma Watson——— Hermione stepped out of the book

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Emma Watson——— Hermione stepped out of the book

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“She played this very smart, conscious, noble wizard—and then somehow we had the good fortune that she became a smart, conscious, noble woman.”  (Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, 2017)

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hermione granger being your study motivation 📚✨

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A fan-made video showed Hermione’s good performances as a student.

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hermione granger being your study motivation 📚✨

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After Harry Potter series ——— Emma Watson wen to Brown University. (2009-2014)

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After Harry Potter series ——— Emma Watson wen to Brown University. (2009-2014)

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Unlike most of other child stars who chose to continue their career as actors/actresses as their whole life, Watson avoided the spotlight sometimes and enrolling in Brown University for few years, though she did not really drop out her career as an actress. As she mentioned her wish to continue study more than once:
‘For someone who has missed as much school as I have, I want to go back and discover what else there is. I always loved school—I was a proper, proper nerd. I just want that back again.’
‘I’m so wrong for this job because I’m too serious; I’m a pain in the ass; I’m difficult; I don’t fit.’

She showed us an independent idea girl who knew what she wanted and insisted on it. Also, her choice about going back to university shaped her image of intellect, elegance and uniqueness.
She’s recently gone to Oxford University for her master degree in creative writing.

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Emma Watson Only Realized She Was Famous When Entering School In The US At Brown University

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Watson stated she felt lose in great fame and going to universities was one way which helped her go back to normal life. She claimed that she studied as any normal student in Brown university and enjoyed the experience of normal life.
She showed uncertain when facing such a great success of HP series and it took her few years to seek for a balance between the role as a famous star and the role of a normal person.

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It is undeniable that RELATED: Harry Potter actress Emma Watson is one of the most recognizable women on the planet. The actress started acting at nine years old and has made a name for herself in the last two decades that she's been active in the industry. Emma Watson Made $70 Million From The Harry Potter Franchise, But She Also Retained The Rights To Her Iconic Wardrobe Despite the fame and all the privileges that come with it, Emma Watson does not seem to enjoy her popularity. For the first few years of her life, she never realized how famous she was. Get to know how the actress reacted to her fame and how it affected her life so far.

Emma Watson Used To Live A Sheltered Life

The reason the actress never had a clue that she was extremely famous until college was because she led a normal life while she was in the U.K. She only found out that she was different and far from being a normal teen student when she went to college at Brown University.

The actress who had a golden rule not to date celebrities revealed that she was pretty much protected while filming Harry Potter.

The actress also didn't know how much she was making from the Harry Potter films until she went to college. It didn't help that majority of the friends she hangs out with are not from the industry, so she really had a normal teenage life.

RELATED: Are They Or Aren't They? The Truth About Emma Watson And Tom Felton's 'Special' Bond

During an interview with Teen Vogue, the actress revealed, "I think, in a way, I was very protected during Harry Potter, because I was working all the time. I would get in the car, go to the studio, and go home."

Despite her massive fame, she was still able to hang out with her childhood friends and attend school in the U.K.

With the concept of fame being foreign to her, it took her a long time to fully understand the whole thing. It was only when she turned 19 years old and attended Brown University in 2009 that she began to grasp her popularity. She believed that her life turned upside down abruptly, and it opened her eyes to different things.

She admitted, "It sounds stupid, or completely unbelievable, but that was when I really realized that I was famous. There are still days when I deal with it horribly and there are days when I deal with it really well."

Emma Watson Was In Denial For A Long Time

In an interview with W Magazine, the actress admitted, "I think when I - when it finally started to hit home that I was really famous, I sort of lived in denial for as long as I possibly could. Telling myself 'Oh I'm like famous for two weeks when the Harry Potter movie comes out and then everyone forgets about who I am."

The Bling Ring actress confessed that she just wanted to experience a normal life, but it took a toll on herself.

"Up until the age of 18. I would take the Oxford tube, which is a public bus, up and down from London. It got to the point where the fact that I was on the bus would spread from one end to the other and like it would just start to get totally crazy. And I would feel like 'Why am I doing this to myself?"

RELATED: What Happened Between Channing Tatum And Emma Watson?

She continued, "Ignoring fame was my rebellion, in a funny way. I was insistent on being normal and doing normal things. It probably wasn't advisable to go to college in America and room with a complete stranger. And it probably wasn't wise to share a bathroom with eight other people in a coed dorm. Looking back, that was crazy."

How Fame Negatively Affected Emma Watson's Life

Emma Watson admitted that she's been dealing with pressure as soon as she hit the spotlight. The public exposure that she has gotten at a very young age eventually damaged her. She also confessed that she's been in therapy since she wanted to overcome the pressure she's been dealing with.

In another interview with British Vogue, the actress said, "I've sat in therapy and felt really guilty about, 'Why me? Somebody else would have wanted and enjoyed this aspect of it more than I did.' I've wrestled a lot with the guilt around that. Of being, like, 'I should be enjoying this more. I should be more excited.' And I'm actually really struggling. There's been moments when everything just got so big, where I almost had vertigo on my own life."

Thankfully, she finds peace in knowing that aside from being an actress, she has a whole personality that she can identify with, especially as a sister.

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Emma Watson Only Realized She Was Famous When Entering School In The US At Brown University

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Emma Watson lived in a bubble for 18 years and finally realized the reality of her life after she enrolled at Brown University.

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Emma Watson accompanied by undercover armed guard as she graduates

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One article doubted Watson’s claimed ‘normal life’ in Brown University.

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One article doubted Watson’s claimed ‘normal life’ in Brown University.

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British actress Emma Watson graduated from Brown University on Sunday

She was flanked by an armed policewoman who wore a traditional cap and gown to blend in with the other 2,000 graduates

Contrasts Emma's stated aim of having 'normal' experience as a student

Her mother Jacqueline Luesby also attended ceremony in Rhode Island

Emma earned an English literature degree after five years at university

She spent part of her degree studying at Oxford University and also juggled her film career

Proudly collecting her degree with a friend by her side, Emma Watson looks as though she has achieved her aim of having a normal student experience.

But appearances can be deceiving...

For the fellow 'student' accompanying the actress to her graduation is actually an armed police guard. And beneath the undercover officer's black graduation robe is a gun.

Miss Watson's high-security approach to her graduation ceremony at Brown University is a marked contrast with her stated aim of having a 'normal' experience as a student at the elite US college.

In the past, the 24-year-old has played down her celebrity status, claiming to have never been asked for an autograph on campus - a sign, she said, of her normality.

But as she picked up her degree in English Literature alongside 2,000 other graduates on Sunday, she remained in constant sight of the undercover officer.

Underneath her graduation gown, the guard wore a pink shirt, jeans and trainers - far more practical, no doubt, than Miss Watson's strappy heels.

Miss Watson's mother Jacqueline Luesby was also present for her daughter's graduation, which came after five years - and three enrolments - at university.

Miss Watson first enrolled at Brown in 2009, before dropping out to shoot the final Harry Potter film, in which she starred as the studious witch Hermione Granger.

Then, having transferred to Oxford University - where she would meet her current boyfriend Matt Janney, as well as former flame William Adamowicz - for another go at it in 2011, she was cast in The Perks of Being a Wallflower and put her studies on hold once more.

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Emma Watson accompanied by undercover armed guard as she graduates

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Emma Watson was accompanied by an undercover armed guard as she graduated from Brown University on Sunday.

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What was it like to be with Emma Watson at Brown?

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A forum discussed about Emma’s image in Brown as a normal student.

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A forum discussed about Emma’s image in Brown as a normal student.

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In this posts, Watson was portrayed as a popular film star who tried her best to live a normal life just as others did by her classmates or ‘acquaintances’ in Brown University.

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What was it like to be with Emma Watson at Brown?

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Answer (1 of 14): I agree with Dylan, everyone did a great job at respecting her privacy and treating her like any other Brown student, but that doesn't mean we don't have our stories: I kid you not, we actually tried to recruit her for the Men's Rowing team.

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How former Harry Potter star Emma Watson became a style hero.

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“Ignoring fame was my rebellion, in a funny way. I was insistent on being normal and doing normal things.”  ——— Emma Watson

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“Ignoring fame was my rebellion, in a funny way. I was insistent on being normal and doing normal things.”  ——— Emma Watson

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In this article, Watson’s image was constructed as a rebeller to secularism and praised her as a model of good girl who showed her elegant growing-up process to people all over the world.

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We're all familiar with the cliches about former child stars. From Lindsey Lohan to the Corey's, they have a tendency to, sadly, go off the rails. Fortunately, one young woman seems immune from the curse of the public eye; and Hollywood is a much better place for it.

The entire world has watched Emma Watson grow up since she was cast as Hermione Granger at the age of 9. And yet, there's still an openness about her. She might be media trained within an inch of her life, but she has none of the plastic tackiness of a Cyrus or a Vanessa Hudgens. Why? Well for starters, she has a tendency to say amazing things. She's absolutely fearless about biting the hand that feeds her, especially when it really needs to be bitten. For example she recently told The Sunday Times :

"With airbrushing and digital manipulation, fashion can project an unobtainable image that's dangerously unhealthy. I'm excited about the ageing process. I'm more interested in women who aren't perfect. They're more compelling."

And she practices what she preaches. When she had control of MTV's Twitter, she posted a pre-red carpet photograph of herself and explained frankly "I did NOT wake up like this." Then she shared her extensive beauty arsenal saying "Couldn't have survived today without..."

With Emma Watson, you get this sense that she knows exactly how lucky she is but that she's also willing to really, really fight for the ability to keep both feet on the ground.

When she was 18, with limitless possibilities, two Potter films to go and an insane amount of cash to burn she... Went to university.

She was so keen to live like a regular girl, she opted for an Ivy League American school (Brown), and when she couldn't find the normalcy she craved, she was pretty circumspect about it. She told W:

"Ignoring fame was my rebellion, in a funny way. I was insistent on being normal and doing normal things. It probably wasn't advisable to go to college in America and room with a complete stranger. And it probably wasn't wise to share a bathroom with eight other people in a coed dorm. Looking back, that was crazy."

And yet she persisted. After taking time off to finish Harry Potter, and film The Bling Ring, The Perks Of Being A Wallflower and Noah, Watson will be graduating university in a couple of months.

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How former Harry Potter star Emma Watson became a style hero.

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Emma Watson has been in the public eye since she was nine years old. She has always been poised and clever in interviews and on the red carpet. Here's why.

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How Emma Watson Defied Child Star Curses to Become a Global Icon!

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The girl who defied the “Child Star Curse”.

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The girl who defied the “Child Star Curse”.

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Child star curse seemed a normal case in Hollywood industry, which was also a popular and controversial topic when people chatting.
However, Watson’s image was in most of the time shaped as an exception of the “tragic trajectory” and a “good girl” labeled as a positive example.

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How Emma Watson Defied Child Star Curses to Become a Global Icon!

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Emma Watson: Star failing to be 'normal' in a fantasy world

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“The actress Helen McCrory, who played the dark witch Narcissa Malfoy, said that “so often when you meet child actors they’re weird, they’re freaks. No, I mean it,” she added for emphasis. “They’re really odd people.””

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“The actress Helen McCrory, who played the dark witch Narcissa Malfoy, said that “so often when you meet child actors they’re weird, they’re freaks. No, I mean it,” she added for emphasis. “They’re really odd people.””

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As Watson received a massive attention, comments about her performances and life were separated and always controversial.  It may be related with some of her rebellious, adventurous, and abnormal performances. All of those would be discussed in later materials. (To differentiate, all the controversial parts would be colored purple.)

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A year after filming wrapped on the final instalment of Harry Potter, the actress Helen McCrory, who played the dark witch Narcissa Malfoy, said that "so often when you meet child actors they're weird, they're freaks. No, I mean it," she added for emphasis. "They're really odd people."

Her co-star Emma Watson, the precocious daughter of two divorced lawyers, was nine when she was famously picked from a line-up in her school gym to audition for the role of Hermione Granger. If Watson was strange then, her life in the 20 years since has arguably been stranger still. An English graduate from Brown University. A United Nations goodwill ambassador fighting for gender equality. An activist and model who happens to have banked tens of millions of pounds in her day job as a Hollywood actress, Watson seems an earnest believer in the ability to use her fame for good. Her 2014 HeForShe campaign with the UN reportedly inspired Malala Yousafzai to identify as a feminist. Environmental activism and the launch of the online book club Our Shared Shelf followed, alongside a smattering of relatively unmemorable film roles despite her working with Sofia Coppola (2013's The Bling Ring) and Darren Aronofsky in (2014's Noah); Watson dropped out of Emma Stone's Oscar-winning role in La La Land to play Belle in Beauty and the Beast.

Greta Gerwig's forthcoming adaptation of Little Women, also starring Meryl Streep and Laura Dern, might hope to change that, but like the career model carved out by Angelina Jolie before her, it seems Watson's impact goes far beyond her film choices. Despite considering herself pretty normal, by describing herself as "self-partnered" last week, Watson was berated for "being one of the most annoying people around" ( Daily Mail), " woke and wanky" (the Times) and "the death of female liberation" ( New Statesman).

It's a lot to lay at the door of one young woman, but she nonetheless hit a public nerve. By apparently looking to reinvent an identity hitherto explained by the drably last-century concept of being, say, "happily single", Watson said that "self-partnering" was a state that she had reached on the precipice of turning 30.

Feeling laden with anxiety for not having a baby, making a home or acquiring a husband - lifestyle ideals imposed on her, as she puts it, by "a bloody influx of subliminal messaging" - she said it took her "a long time" but that she was now happy and more at ease with her single self. In therapy-speak, this would translate to "reframing negative thinking to gain a kinder relationship to herself". In Piers Morgan-speak, this was grunted out as "can't get a bloke".

For a woman who has grown up chased by the British paparazzi, and been frequently prodded by male chatshow hosts about her relationships, it's no surprise that she has tried to keep them under wraps. "I remember on my 18th birthday I came out of my birthday party and photographers lay down on the pavement and took photographs up my skirt," Watson once said at an event for HeForShe. The pictures were then published on the front of the British tabloids the next morning. "If they had published the photographs 24 hours earlier they would have been illegal, but because I had just turned 18 they were legal."

Watson is dating, though, as she also told . The point that she had tried to make, albeit clumsily, was that she was equally happy not to; just as Gwyneth Paltrow didn't invent the term "conscious uncoupling" to describe her divorce, neither has Watson coined self-partnering - both were established in the language of pop psychology gurus, books and woo-woo Instagram accounts.

The path from child star to relatable, functioning adult is not particularly well-worn but while Watson has eschewed the drama of drink, drugs, bankruptcy and public collapse the film industry has historically gifted its young talent, it's unsurprising that she still frequently shows herself up to be very much a product of her industry: indelibly sensitive and prone to navel-gazing. "It's so bizarre and otherworldly, what happened to me," she told Vogue, reflecting on her post-Potter fame. Watson has spoken at length of her two decades being subsumed by the mania of celebrity and the anxiety and vertigo-inducing disconnect that money, fame and adulation have given her. It's not a new narrative for the very rich and very famous, but it has often made her a target for cruelty, rather than sympathy. "There [are] a number of different ways, I think, I have found to come through this and to feel, to a certain degree - I'll let other people be the judge! - feel sane and feel normal," she said. "And I'm the most proud of that because sometimes I look at it all and I go: 'I was lucky to come out of the other side of that'." Everyone, she added in the cheesy vernacular of self-help, "is on their learning journey".

Over the summer Watson helped launch an advice line for women experiencing sexual harassment in British workplaces and has been at the forefront of championing the Time's Up campaign; at the 2018 Oscars she demonstrated her commitment to the cause by wearing a temporary tattoo that read TIMES UP [sic], prompting her to tweet: "Fake tattoo proofreading position available. Experience with apostrophes a must."

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Watson in Uruguay in 2014 as a UN goodwill ambassador for gender equality. Photograph: Xinhua News Agency/Rex

But while Watson has tried to make her case for remaining normal in an abnormal environment, the odds still go against her. The grand self-importance of her early twenties, when her public feminist awakening led to preaching in her interviews, was one phase. Being made acutely aware of the privilege her life afforded her even without the wealth and celebrity she accumulated was another. After meeting Reni Eddo-Lodge, the author of Why I Am No Longer Talking To White People About Race, Watson was wide-eyed with guilt. Last year she wrote an impassioned letter to her book club hosted on Good Reads, addressing criticism that she was simply "a white feminist".

"It would have been more useful to spend the time asking myself questions like: 'What are the ways I have benefited from being white? In what ways do I support and uphold a system that is structurally racist? How do my race, class and gender affect my perspective?'" she wrote. "There seemed to be many types of feminists and feminism. But instead of seeing these differences as divisive, I could have asked whether defining them was actually empowering and bringing about better understanding. But I didn't know to ask these questions."

In reality, Watson can't expect to project the everyday normality she is after, no matter how often she talks about being sad, anxious or still working it out. Better, then, to try to learn and do better, which seems a more natural way to relate to the millions of fans who look up to her.
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Emma Watson: Star failing to be 'normal' in a fantasy world

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A year after filming wrapped on the final instalment of Harry Potter, the actress Helen McCrory, who played the dark witch Narcissa Malfoy, said that "so often when you meet child actors they're weird, they're freaks. No, I mean it," she added for emphasis. "They're really odd people."

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Emma Watson Talks College And Her New Haircut At Harry Potter

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Though being criticized by various groups about her short hair, Watson stated that she like her new haircut style and it was symbolic for her like it was really liberating and brought her some changes.
In this case, she showed audiences a confident, rebellious, unhurried and keen-to-change image.

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Emma Watson Talks College And Her New Haircut At Harry Potter

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2. Transition between images of a famous child star and a newly adult actress. (2011-2014)

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2. Transition between images of a famous child star and a newly adult actress. (2011-2014)

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Apart from the classic character Hermione Granger, Emma courage herself to try to play some other roles in independent films. Among them, The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012) was considered as a turning point where she shed memory of Hermione out from audience’s view.

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Watson cast in a small role of wardrobe assistant, Lucy Armstrong.

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The theatrical release poster of The Bling Ring (2013)

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A crime film where Watson cast as one of the leading role Nicolette.
Her performance in this film won praise such as ‘ an adventurous actress under the good-girl-goes-bad stunt casting who displayed her charm and possibility as not only an actress but also a rising ‘comedic gold’ ( Richard Roeper, 2013).

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Emma Watson at Cannes Film Festival (2013)

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The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012) is a 2012 American coming-of-age-romantic film. It was a box office success of $33.3 million and won the Independent Spirit Award for best First Feature. Watson cast the leading role, Samantha Button ("Sam"), who was a quasi-bad girl trying to reinvent herself before college (The Newsday, 2012). Watson won praise for her challenge of taking this 'good-girl-goes-bad' casting (The Atlantics, 2012) and it was considered the role to help her shed the memory of Hermione out.

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Emma Watson on 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' and leaving Hermione behind

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Represent a new possibility of casting style outside 'Hermione Halo' for her actress career

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Represent a new possibility of casting style outside 'Hermione Halo' for her actress career

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As Watson said, when Sam stands up in the back of a pickup truck driving through a tunnel, “I started as Emma with some Hermione still left in my system. And I went through the tunnel and I came out ready to start something new.”
This role expanded audience’s imagination of her casting style and also proved her potential as an actress.

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The Perks of Being a Wallflower marks Emma Watson's first major post- Harry Potter role. She remembers meeting with Stephen Chbosky (who not only wrote the 1999 novel but wrote the screenplay and directed the movie, too) who persuaded her to take on the part of Sam, a rebellious and popular high school girl. "At our initial meeting, he said, 'Okay, not only is this going to be one of the most important parts you play, you're also going to have the summer of your life and meet some of your best friends.' I thought, 'That's quite a claim. Who is this guy?" Watson says with a laugh. "Everything he said came true."

The cast - which includes Logan Lerman and Ezra Miller - all bonded while living in the same hotel in Pittsburgh, which Watson now calls one of her favorite places. It was there that Watson can point to one particular scene - when Sam stands up in the back of a pickup truck driving through a tunnel - as the moment she was able to truly graduate from Hogwarts. "I started as Emma with some Hermione still left in my system," she says. "I went through the tunnel and I came out ready to start something new."

Check the video below and you'll the scene she's talking about! And for more on Emma Watson (including how she mastered an American accent) and 97 other fall movies, pick up the new issue of Entertainment Weekly, on stands August 10.

Related:

Emma Watson addresses 'Fifty Shades of Grey' casting rumors

Casting Net: Emma Watson boards 'Noah.' Gyllenhall headed to the White House, and more

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Emma Watson on 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' and leaving Hermione behind

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Emma Watson on 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' and leaving Hermione behind

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Talking about undressed scenes in the film

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Talking about undressed scenes in the film

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Sam was explicit in nature to some degree, when talking about undressing, Watson explained, 'I’ve been saying since I was 16 that if it’s an interesting character and important for the character development, and of course if it’s important to the story, then I’ll do it because I’m an actress and that’s it really.'
It showed Watson’s profession as an actress. Moreover, it also indicated that Watson had her own principles against undressing, which would be discussed as follows.

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3. After 2014, Watson’s actress career had more link with her activist identity such as a feminist or an environmentalist. It was also since this year, her image turned to be more controversial as she involved in more topics.

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3. After 2014, Watson’s actress career had more link with her activist identity such as a feminist or an environmentalist. It was also since this year, her image turned to be more controversial as she involved in more topics.

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Emma Watson at the HeForShe Campaign 2014 - Official UN Video

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Appointed as a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador in 2014, she hosted the ‘Heforshe’ campaign and made the famous ‘Heforshe’ speech for gender equality.

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Appointed as a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador in 2014, she hosted the ‘Heforshe’ campaign and made the famous ‘Heforshe’ speech for gender equality.

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Watson gave a speech about calling upon males to help reduce the inequalities which women were facing.
In this speech, she announced her image as a feminist and appealed for gender equality, where she insisted that through not only females but also males taking part in the ‘Heforshe’ campaign, both of them would benefit from that.
In this speech, Watson showed us her image of an independent, confident, and thoughtful feminist. At the same time, her speech skills and elegance when speaking impressed the audience. All of the above help construct her into the image of a vigorous and world-minded postfeminist rather than simply a successful child star.

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Emma Watson at the HeForShe Campaign 2014 - Official UN Video

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6 of Emma Watson's best quotes about women and feminism

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One of the most famous quotes Watson said for feminism was,
“If you want to run for Prime Minister, you can. If you don’t, that’s wonderful, too. Shave your armpits, don’t shave them, wear flats one day, heels the next. These things are so irrelevant and surface to what it is all really about, and I wish people wouldn’t get caught up in that. We want to empower women to do exactly what they want, to be true to themselves, to have the opportunities to develop.” (Elle, 2014)
These quotes indicates her identity as a post feminism under neoliberalism trend.

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'The saddest thing for a girl to do is to dumb herself down for a guy'

The image showed the Harry Potter star posing in a crochet top and see-through top for British fashion photographer Tim Walker.

In a week where Watson, who has been a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador since 2014, calmy shut down thousands of online critics, we've pulled together some of her most powerful and inspirational quotes from over the years.

1. "For the record, feminism, by definition, is the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. It is the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes."

(Source: HeForShe )

Celebrity feminists - in pictures

Most Read

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6 of Emma Watson's best quotes about women and feminism

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'The saddest thing for a girl to do is to dumb herself down for a guy'

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From a slap to a punch: preparing Hermione Granger for postfeminist Hollywood (Wara and de Bruin, 2023)

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Background: A more empowered Hermione in HP film series

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Background: A more empowered Hermione in HP film series

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Wara and de Bruin (2023) pointed out that the figure of Hermione played by Emma Watson in HP series films was empowered with more agency and girl power as a model of a postfeminist female figure on the screen. Compared with the description in books, Emma Watson’s Hermione showed an image with more intelligence, agency, forward-thinking, quick-thinking, and leadership as an embodiment of girl power.
One example was that in one scene Hermione physically gave Malloy a punch with Malfoy whimpering and stumbling away. Whilst in the book, Hermione slaps him with a ‘shrilly’ voice and Malfoy remains aloof.
The image change of Hermione from books to films matches with Watson’s persona and image as a brave, confident, and intelligent girl children star. Moreover, it seems to solidify the foundation of her future awkening on feminism.

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The instagram home page of our shared shelf account.

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‘Our shared shelf’ bimonthly book club founded for intersectional feminists.

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‘Our shared shelf’ bimonthly book club founded for intersectional feminists.

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Watson’s response regarding criticisms on her as a privileged ‘white celebrity feminist’

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Watson’s response regarding criticisms on her as a privileged ‘white celebrity feminist’

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Being criticized as a privileged white celebrity feminist who cannot understand all females especially those of colour.

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Being criticized as a privileged white celebrity feminist who cannot understand all females especially those of colour.

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Watson’s ‘Heforshe’ speech splinted the gap between the old and new feminist guard. Though receiving massive support and positive feedback from the mainstream press, she got criticisms from some feminist-specific media outlets such as XOJane, BGD Blog and Guerrilla Feminism.

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Why I'm Not Really Here For Emma Watson's U.N. Feminism Speech

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An example of criticizing Watson’s ‘Heforshe’ speech from BGD

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An example of criticizing Watson’s ‘Heforshe’ speech from BGD

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Actor Emma Watson, of Harry Potter movie fame, is a new Goodwill Ambassador for UN Women and she spoke at the UN on Saturday to launch the HeForShe campaign, which aims to mobilize men to end gender inequality somehow (the campaign doesn't seem to call men to any particular action of any sort). The campaign wants men to make gender equality their issue, too, and Ms. Watson extended "a formal invitation" to men to do so.

Some of the mainstream (white) feminist interwebs are all abuzz because, according to said mainstream (white) feminist interwebs, it was all kinds of awesome and really, really next-level or something. Yes, some of it was very good. Ms. Watson talked about how she came into feminism herself, after experiences such as being sexualized by the media at age 14. For the first few minutes, the speech is awesome.

Then, around the 6 minute mark, it gets...less good.

I'd call myself a fan of Emma Watson. I like her. I always have. I'm a Harry Potter fan (despite its issues with gender inequality), and I've liked her a lot in other stuff, too. I still like her. I also know that she means well in her feminist work, and that her intentions at the UN were great. Cool. Excellent. None of that is the issue here.

The issue is that the message Ms. Watson delivered is problematic in many ways.

In her speech to the UN, Ms. Watson said:

How can we affect change in the world when only half of it is invited or feel welcome to participate in the conversation? Men-I would like to take this opportunity to extend your formal invitation. Gender equality is your issue, too.

Here, she seems to suggest that the reason men aren't involved in the fight for gender equality is that women simply haven't invited them and, in fact, have been unwelcoming. Women haven't given men a formal invitation, so they haven't joined in. It's not because, you know, men benefit HUGELY (socially, economically, politically, etc. infinity) from gender inequality and therefore have much less incentive to support its dismantling. It's not because of the prevalence of misogyny the entire world over. It's just that no one's asked. OMG, why didn't any of us think to ask?!

This is an absurd thing to suggest. Women have been trying to get men to care about oppression of women since...always. Men have never been overwhelmingly interested in fighting that fight, because it requires them giving up power and all evidence suggests that's not their super-fave thing. Share a link about gender equality? Sure! Count me in! Give up real power in real ways? Nope, not really.

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Ms. Watson went on to say:

I've seen men made fragile and insecure by a distorted sense of what constitutes male success. Men don't have the benefit of equality, either. We don't often talk about men being imprisoned by gender stereotypes but I can see that they are and that when they are free, things will change for women as a natural consequence.

This message is flawed and unfortunate, as well. Telling men that they should care about gender inequality because of how much it hurts them, centralizes men and their well-being in a movement built by women for our survival in a world that degrades and dehumanizes us daily. This is problematic for the same reason telling white people that they should end racism because racism "holds us all back as a society, so eradicating it will help you, too," is problematic.

Firstly, because even if that's true, it does nothing to create solidarity. I have never met a white person who decided to take on anti-racism work because of the negative effects of racism on white people. Literally, never. And I don't think I've ever met a man who genuinely supports feminist ideals because of the ways they benefit men first. If I did know people like this, I wouldn't like them. I'd question why the often brutal oppression of people of color and women and especially women of color wasn't enough to get them interested, but having an epiphany about the ways men and/or white people are kinda also hurt by these constructs because "something something society and also men should be able to cry, too" made them jump right on board.

Secondly, because it ignores just how much men do benefit from gender inequality. (They really do, Emma!)

Allow me to offer you just a couple statistics from this side of the pond:

1 out of every 5 American women has reported experiencing rape in her lifetime. For American men, it's 1 in 71.

White (cis-gender) American women earn 78% of what their white male counterparts earn. Black (cis-gender) American women earn 89% of what their Black male counterparts earn and 64% of what their white male counterparts earn. Latina (cis-gender) women earn 89% of what their Latino male counterparts earn and 53% of what their white male counterparts earn.

Only 4.8% of Fortune 500 CEO's are women.

Of course, the gender pay gap exists everywhere in the world, including the UK. And so does rape.

Saying that men don't have the benefit of equality creates a false narrative that we're all hurt in the same ways and at the same degrees by the evils of gender inequality, and that no one's really benefiting, and that's simply not true. Emma Watson being sexualized by the media at 14 years old isn't the same as her male friends not being so comfortable expressing their feelings. It's a false equivalency. The ways that gender inequality is bad for men and boys are very, very different from the ways it's bad for women and girls. Namely, it oppresses and abuses women and girls in nearly every facet of life.

Thirdly, the people with the most privilege are constantly being centralized this way in conversations about oppression and it needs to stop. This is why "marriage equality" is the mainstream LGBTQ rights issue, rather than homeless queer youth or struggling elders, rather than invisibilization and erasure of queer and trans people of color. The face of the "marriage equality" movement is mostly white, male and well-off. The people with the most privilege are centered in the discussion, while the people who are the most oppressed are an afterthought, at best. De-centralizing women in conversations about gender inequality isn't good.

Ms. Watson also said:

I want men to take up this mantle. So their daughters, sisters, and mothers can be free from prejudice...

The underlying message here is that women deserve equity and equality because of our relationships to men. Continuing to re-enforce the idea that men should respect women and fight for women's equality because mother/sister/daughter/whatever perpetuates the idea that women don't already deserve those things based solely on our status as human beings. It encourages men to think of women always and only in relation to themselves, as if our pseudo-humanity is only an after-thought of men's real humanity. The truth is that women are whole, complete people, regardless of our status in the lives of men. This is what men should hear, over and over again. This is what everyone should hear, every day.

I think one thing Ms. Watson was kinda sorta but not really getting at was the idea that femininity, whether expressed by women or men (or genderqueer people, I guess, but who knows because they don't exist in this UN speech or the "HeForShe" campaign), is what gets the short end of the stick in the world. Femininity is seen as weakness and is hated and abused. That's valid and very, very important, but she didn't say any of that, doesn't appear to have a solid analysis of that yet, and it's a reach to suggest that's what will come across to most people who listen to her speech.

So, can we please stop trying to make Emma Watson the new feminist icon of the universe? She's not there yet. She's still learning, I think, just like Beyoncé, who, by the way, rarely even gets the benefit of the doubt from white feminists, let alone hailed as feminist queen of all things, when her feminist expressions are less than perfect. (Imagine if Beyoncé got up at the UN and gave a speech that centered men in the fight for gender equality. The white mainstream feminist skies would rain down hellfire upon us all. Well, some of us, anyway.)

I hope that as Emma Watson continues to grow into her feminism she'll chuck these unfortunate approaches. But, frankly, it'll take a lot more than that for me to see her as the "game-changing" feminist she's being called. Where's her analysis of racial justice and its necessity in ending gender inequality? What does she know about misogynoir? Does she understand that wealthy white women like her are often oppressors of women of color and/or poor women in the world? Where's her understanding of transfeminism? Can she explain to the UN, or anyone else, why violence against trans women needs to be centered in our work against misogyny? Does she know and can she articulate that ableism is woven into not only gender inequality, but every form of oppression that exists? And, importantly, does she understand that as a white woman she is granted access and taken seriously by mainstream feminism in ways that a woman of color wouldn't be and why, then, it's necessary for her to step aside and make room for women of color to be heard if gender inequality is ever to be eradicated? Because any real "game-changing" feminist needs to.

I personally think it would be pretty cool if the woman who used to be the girl who played Hermione turned out to be a kick-ass, game-changing feminist. For me, that requires a real kick-ass, game-changing analysis and approach. Ms. Watson doesn't have one yet.
We need to hear the voices of marginalized people in media, now more than ever. Please GIVE today to support BGD. All work published on BGD is the intellectual property of its writers. Please do not republish anything from this site without express written permission from BGD. For more info, go here.
Mia McKenzie is an award-winning writer, a speaker, and the creator of Black Girl Dangerous. Bring her to speak at your college or community event.

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Why I'm Not Really Here For Emma Watson's U.N. Feminism Speech

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The Emma Watson speech at the U.N. about the HeForShe campaign was not the game-changer many white feminists claimed it was. Here's why.

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(‘But then feminism goes out the window!’: exploring teenage girls’ critical response to celebrity feminism, Keller and Ringrose, 2015, Celebrity Studies)

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A representative comment on Emma Watson and her celebrity feminists controversy in a relative interview 

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A representative comment on Emma Watson and her celebrity feminists controversy in a relative interview 

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Beauty and the breasts: constructions of feminist sexual politics in vanity fair’s 2017 Emma Watson photoshoot, Cabas-Mijares, 2022, on Feminist Media Studies)

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As a Hollywood child star, Watson’s image largely overlapped with her personas on the screen as Hermione Granger, both of whom were humble, smart, brave, full of justice and considered as a model of a ‘good girl’.
Some critics pointed out that while the good girl archetype reinforces the image of Emma as an innocent white woman, reframing such as sexualization through the lens of art otherwise contracts with their discourse of discouraging her from impurity, which separates her from other female celebrities, especially those of colour (such as Beyoncé).

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A controversial 2017: Beauty and the Beast (2017) and Vanity Fair

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A controversial 2017: Beauty and the Beast (2017) and Vanity Fair

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Beauty and the Beast (Live Action) - Belle | IMAX Open Matte Version

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Watson cast the classic Disney princess role Belle in Disney’s adapted film Beauty and the Beast (2017) and displayed an independent, elegant, and intelligent charming figure. In this film, she also showed her affective singing skills. Belle's persona she constructed through this film was coherent with her image of a feminist, which highlights girl power who decides her life by herself.

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Beauty and the Beast (Live Action) - Belle | IMAX Open Matte Version

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“When I finished the film, it kind of felt like I had made that transition into being a woman on-screen,” she says, adding that Belle is “absolutely a Disney princess, but she’s not a passive character — she’s in charge of her own destiny.”
(Vanity Fair, 2017)

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(‘Watson in Burberry’ photograph by Tim Walker, Vanity Fair, 2017)

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Be criticized as an impure feminist as a celebrity under the neoliberalism feminism trend.

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Be criticized as an impure feminist as a celebrity under the neoliberalism feminism trend.

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Watson was criticized for her feminist identity in terms of her overexposed image on Vanity Fair.

Criticism was basically divided into two voices: on one hand, she was criticized as a privileged white and wealthy feminist; on the other hand, she was criticized as an impure celebrity feminist who benefited from the lucrative commercialized neoliberalism feminism.

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Emma Watson addresses Vanity Fair photo controversy

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Watson defended herself from criticisms of her vanity fair picture.

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Watson defended herself from criticisms of her vanity fair picture.

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Watson replied to criticisms about her picture on Vanity Fair and reiterated her perception of feminism, where she insisted that people misunderstand feminism and in her vision, it is about the wish that females could always have their choices. This interview showed her neoliberalism postfeminist identity and also displayed her persistence in her standpoint and courage to stand for it and fight back against opponents.

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Emma Watson addresses Vanity Fair photo controversy

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Press’s doubts about Watson’s feminist identity regarding this disturbance

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Press’s doubts about Watson’s feminist identity regarding this disturbance

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“One of the rubbish side effects of being a woman is that it’s often very hard to distinguish what you want with what you have been told to want… The only thing ‘having its cake and eating it too’ here is the patriarchy.” (The Independent, 2017)
“Can you be a feminist and pose in a nearly see-through top for Vanity Fair?" （CNN, 2017)

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Emma Watson Feels Like She Finally 'Made that Transition into Being a Woman On-Screen'

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“There have been hard moments in my career when I’ve had an agent or a movie producer say, ‘You are making a big mistake,’ ” Watson says about turning down roles — including Emma Stone’s Oscar-wining character in La La Land. “But what’s the point of achieving great success if you feel like you’re losing your freakin’ mind? I’ve had to say, ‘Guys, I need to go back to school,’ or ‘I just need to go home and hang out with my cats.’ People have looked at me and been like, ‘Is she insane?’ But, actually, it’s the opposite of insane.”
This showed her uniqueness and determined self-adhere.

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It took some time, but Emma Watson says she finally feels like a woman on the big screen.

The Beauty and the Beast actress, 26, opens up to Vanity Fair in its March issue about filming the live-action Disney movie and how it helped her take the next step in her acting career.

"When I finished the film, it kind of felt like I had made that transition into being a woman on-screen," she says, adding that Belle is "absolutely a Disney princess, but she's not a passive character - she's in charge of her own destiny."

The actress was instrumental in giving the Disney princess a more feminist edge, insisting that certain aspects be changed so she feels more modern. "I was like, 'The first shot of the movie cannot be Belle walking out of this quiet little town carrying a basket with a white napkin in it,' " she says. "'We need to rev things up!'"

In the original animated film, Belle assists her father with his many inventions, but for the live-action film, Watson helped change her character so that she is an inventor herself. The character is working on a "modern washing machine that allows her to sit and read" in this version, thanks to Watson.

The actress also gets candid about her struggles post- Potter to find herself after gaining fame at just 11 years old. While she thought about quitting acting as a whole, she realized that it was the career she wanted as long as she had more control over her actions. This led to her turning down roles that didn't feel right, and only starring in small projects since the last Potter film in 2011.

"There have been hard moments in my career when I've had an agent or a movie producer say, 'You are making a big mistake,' " Watson says about turning down roles - including Emma Stone's Oscar-winning character in La La Land. "But what's the point of achieving great success if you feel like you're losing your freakin' mind? I've had to say, 'Guys, I need to go back to school,' or 'I just need to go home and hang out with my cats.' People have looked at me and been like, 'Is she insane?' But, actually, it's the opposite of insane."

And her past experiences with fame have also led her to value her privacy - especially when it comes to her boyfriend of over a year, tech manager William "Mack" Knight.

In the interview, the actress - who doesn't name Knight - explains her decision to not talk about her personal life publicly.

"I want to be consistent: I can't talk about my boyfriend in an interview and then expect people not to take paparazzi pictures of me walking around outside my home. You can't have it both ways," she says. "I've noticed, in Hollywood, who you're dating gets tied up into your film promotion and becomes part of the performance and the circus. I would hate anyone that I were with to feel like they were in any way part of a show or an act."

Beauty and the Beast hits theaters March 17.

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Emma Watson Feels Like She Finally 'Made that Transition into Being a Woman On-Screen'

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The Beauty and the Beast actress, 26, opens up to Vanity Fair in its March issue about filming the live-action Disney movie and how it helped her take the next step in her acting career. The actress was instrumental in giving the Disney princess a more feminist edge, insisting that certain aspects be changed so she feels more modern.

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"I'll do it because I'm an actress": Emma Watson Revealed Her One Condition to Strip Down Naked for Movies After Conservative Roles - FandomWire

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Her principles of firmly protecting the image of Hermione

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Her principles of firmly protecting the image of Hermione

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“Not wanting to ruin that image of her, the Little Women (2017) actress stated that she doesn’t do anything that Hermione Granger wouldn’t do.”

“I’m not going to get my kit off or snort cocaine in a film, just to leave Hermione behind, I’m not going to do something shocking because I’m so paranoid or insecure that I can’t play another role convincingly. I don’t want everyone to forget me as Hermione. I’m really proud of her.”  (Watson, 2023)

This interview showed that Watson identified with the overlapped images between hers and Hermione’s. And she even partly felt she was an extension of Hermione because she believed her behaviors would influence the image of Hermione.

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Emma Watson, the actress known for portraying the role of Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter franchise believes in continuing the image. Being an actress, Watson has been offered multiple roles throughout her career but she does not want to spoil the image of Hermione Granger doing something that she would not do.

Talking about nudity and explicit roles in films, the Noah actress had only a single condition for the role. Wanting to inspire people around the world by being Hermione Granger, Watson would break her explicit rule based on the condition that she is, after all, an actress.

Emma Watson Will Break Her Rule Under One Condition!

Ever since the release of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone back in 2001, Emma Watson has remained in the spotlight throughout her Hollywood career. Being attached to the role of Hermione Granger ever since she was young, the actress feels that people associate her with Granger and she doesn't want to break that image of her.
Also read: "I was pretty confused as a teenager": Harry Potter Star Emma Watson Confesses About Her Relationship With Her Father
Being an actress, the Beauty and the Beast actor has been offered multiple roles throughout her career. Naturally, some of the roles were explicit in nature but Emma Watson has a strict policy against undressing or doing drugs as an actor. She did reveal, however, that she may break the policy under a single condition.

Talking about a character getting undressed or doing drugs, The Circle actress revealed that she will only do the acting if the moment is significant to the character's development and/or to the story.

"I've been saying since I was 16 that if it's an interesting character and important for the character development, and of course if it's important to the story, then I'll do it because I'm an actress and that's it really,"
Suggested: "I had no idea who Brad Pitt really was": Emma Watson Had to Fake Her Love for Brad Pitt to Feel Accepted After Playing Nerdy Harry Potter Role Related: "She is completely unique": Tom Felton Left Emma Watson Heartbroken After Revealing His Harry Potter Crush Despite Actress' Deep Admiration
She further stated that she is so proud and attached to the role of Hermione Granger that Emma Watson would not do anything to harm that image of her.

Emma Watson Is Paranoid of Her Hermione Granger Image

Being a goody-two-shoes, Emma Watson felt that the character of Hermione Granger inspired billions of people worldwide. Not wanting to ruin that image of her, the Little Women actress stated that she doesn't do anything that Hermione Granger wouldn't do.

"I'm not going to get my kit off or snort cocaine in a film, just to leave Hermione behind, I'm not going to do something shocking because I'm so paranoid or insecure that I can't play another role convincingly. I don't want everyone to forget me as Hermione. I'm really proud of her."

With pride in her character, Emma Watson shines in the Harry Potter franchise throughout all eight movies. The Harry Potter franchise is available to stream on HBO Max.

Source: Cheatsheet

Thanks for your feedback!

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"I'll do it because I'm an actress": Emma Watson Revealed Her One Condition to Strip Down Naked for Movies After Conservative Roles - FandomWire

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Emma Watson, being an actress, is ready to break her no-undressing or drugs policy under a very logical condition that it remains vital to the story!

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When filming Beauty and the Beast (2017), Watson opened an Instagram account, the Press Tour, to share her stunning eco-friendly costume to support sustainability.

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When filming Beauty and the Beast (2017), Watson opened an Instagram account, the Press Tour, to share her stunning eco-friendly costume to support sustainability.

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Though she did it with good intent, her behavior still received criticism.

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Why Does Emma Watson's Feminism Irritate So Many People? | KQED

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Criticism regarding her ThePressTour account in the celebrity feminist sense

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Criticism regarding her ThePressTour account in the celebrity feminist sense

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“To many, it looks an awful lot like just another rich, beautiful celebrity flaunting her access to extremely expensive couture.”

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In response, Watson dug up the interview, highlighted the sections in which she talked about Beyoncé, and allowed the text to speak for itself. (Admitting that she "still [hadn't] really formed my own ideas about it," she had been asking questions about Beyoncé's music videos that seemed to be shot through a "male gaze." )

As with so many criticisms directed at Watson -- whenever she does anything feminist or feminine -- it's often a lot of fuss about nothing.

The entire Vanity Fair incident serves to highlight just how much confusion still swirls around feminism as a movement. In 2017, the idea that individuals must stay chaste and fully-clothed to defend equal rights for women is antiquated, stemming from an old stereotype that painted women's rights campaigners as sexless man-haters in order to discourage more women from joining the movement. Apparently, Beyoncé in a leotard in front of a gigantic FEMINIST sign at the Grammys in 2014 has done little to dispel this old, ugly myth. That's probably for the same reason why Watson was openly confused about Beyoncé at the time -- namely, that understanding millennial feminism requires additional thought about free sexual expression, patriarchal media influences, choice and women's place in the age of technology.

But another part of Watson's problem as an outspoken feminist is who she literally is. She is widely viewed as the embodiment of privilege. Her accent carries the same polished tone as the British Royal Family; she was born in Paris to two successful lawyers; she has few memories of ever not being a millionaire, thanks to being cast as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter franchise at the age of nine. Watson definitely has something of a relatability problem.

At a time when the term " White Feminist " is one of the worst things to call a female campaigner, Watson's feminism comes under extra scrutiny precisely because she is a young, rich, white, cis-gendered, heterosexual woman -- the exact demographic that dominated second-wave feminism, sometimes to the detriment of other women. It also happens to be the exact demographic from which millennial feminism so often seeks to distance itself.

Undoubtedly, Watson is now in a bit of a quagmire. Since she became an activist, she stopped being a relatable figure to those who don't understand feminism nor care to hear about it (i.e., the people who picked apart her photo shoot last week). But for a sizable portion of new-generation feminists, Watson is simply too privileged to truly get it. No matter how much sense she speaks, or how well her arguments hold up, her innate privilege has a tendency to undercut her ability to be viewed as authentic.

The split between the old and new feminist guard was made abundantly clear after Watson's "HeForShe" speech at the UN in 2014. It was a moment widely applauded across the mainstream media, but Watson faced backlash in some feminist-specific media outlets (like , and Guerrilla Feminism). Her response to the discussion was thoughtful, but did little to dispel the idea that Watson might not truly get it:

Another example of Watson's good intentions backfiring is the Instagram account she set up to chronicle the many stunning ensembles she's been wearing on her globetrotting Beauty & The Beast promotional tour. @ThePressTour was set up with the intention of highlighting another cause close to Watson's heart -- eco-friendly fashion -- but to many, it looks an awful lot like just another rich, beautiful celebrity flaunting her access to extremely expensive couture. The motivations and intentions behind The Press Tour are great (and just imagine what the anti-feminists would say if she didn't show up to every appearance this polished), but the execution suggests to many that Watson is clueless when it comes to understanding the realities of life for low-income women and women of color.

If Watson continues with her feminist campaigning -- and young women would certainly be worse off if she didn't -- the furor around that one very tasteful photograph in Vanity Fair will only be the beginning. As it stands, it might be more useful for all of us to start viewing Watson through a lens that doesn't involve old-fashioned feminist stereotypes, and doesn't -- based on their bank balances or race -- exclude women (which was the point of intersectional feminism in the first place).

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Why Does Emma Watson's Feminism Irritate So Many People? | KQED

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Can Emma Watson be both a feminist activist and a woman comfortable enough in her own skin to show some of it? Some think not.

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12 Of Emma Watson's Best Sustainable Looks To Date

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Watson continuously attends ceremonies in eco-friendly clothes to support sustainability.

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Watson continuously attends ceremonies in eco-friendly clothes to support sustainability.

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Emma Watson is well known for her environmental activism, so it's no surprise that her fashion choices reflect those concerns. In fact, the actor was arguably ahead of the game when it comes to championing sustainable fashion, often opting to wear vintage on the red carpet during her Harry Potter days.

Several years later, Watson launched an Instagram account specifically dedicated to showcasing her eco-conscious choices for the Beauty And The Beast press tour, ranging from a Givenchy dress made from organic silk to an Emilia Wickstead gown constructed using end-of-the line fabric.

Fast forward to today, and the actor is still committed to flying the flag for sustainable fashion - with emerging designers such as Harris Reed and Rave Review recently making an appearance in her wardrobe. Below, see 12 of Emma Watson's best sustainable looks to date.

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12 Of Emma Watson's Best Sustainable Looks To Date

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Emma Watson is well known for her environmental activism, so it's no surprise that her fashion choices reflect those concerns. In fact, the actor was arguably ahead of the game when it comes to championing sustainable fashion, often opting to wear vintage on the red carpet during her Harry Potter days.

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Watson got praise for her effort on sustainable fashion.

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Watson got praise for her effort on sustainable fashion.

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“Emma has an incredible sense of integrity.” Livia Firth

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Emma Watson critisized for refusing to work with J.K. Rowling

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“How dare Emma Watson bite the hand that feeds her.”

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“How dare Emma Watson bite the hand that feeds her.”

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While J.K.Rowling had very public, negative and controversial words on the rights of transgender people in UK, Watson denied her in public and resist her by refusing to return to the HP project with J.K. involved.
This has been criticized by some people as not respect the writer of her precious masterpiece and was labeled as thankless and indifferent.

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The speculation that Emma Watson will only return to Harry Potter if J.K is out of the picture , has social media in a flurry.

Emma Watson has been criticized heavily on social media after sources close to the actress said she is unwilling to return to the Harry Potter franchise if J.K. Rowling is involved with the project. Watson has indicated that she will only return to the franchise if J.K. Rowling is not involved in any way. This news incited hundreds of Twitter comments and social posts, declaring, " how dare Emma Watson bite the hand that feeds her."

Watson, 32, is said to have made the decision following controversial comments by Rowling, 56, about the trans community. Giant Freaking Robot revealed in a report that "trusted and proven sources" had claimed the actress will only return to the franchise if the author, who created the series, is not involved in any way.

While the reasons for Watson refusing to come back to the franchise if J.K. Rowling is involved are not entirely clear, the safe bet would be how controversial the author and her social opinions have become in recent years. Primarily J.K.'s very public, and very loud, commentary on the rights of transgender people in the UK (and one would have to assume the world) may have made Watson pull away from returning to the Harry Potter Films.

Emma Watson made a comment at the BAFTAs earlier this year that many took to be directed towards J.K. Rowling. Watson was arriving on stage to present an award when fellow actor Rebel Wilson joked that the Harry Potter star " calls herself a feminist, but we all know she's a witch,". Emma Watson replied "I'm here for all of the witches," which was taken in Internet discourse to be a tacit disagreement with J.K. Rowling's public beliefs on transgender individuals.

Emma Watson does not owe JK Rowling anything. If you don't agree with someone, you're not obligated to associate yourself with them. Take a Break, Helen. It's none of your business. https://t.co/VqquoMKPUo

- AJ 🏳️‍🌈 #FBPE #ToriesOutNow (@altaidox) June 25, 2022

There is growing speculation that the Harry Potter 25-year anniversary may be 'cancelled by publishers' over her very strong trans rights views. While her fans and her many readers have stayed loyal, the publishing industry is having second thoughts on how to deal with all of the noise she has been making. Although the books will most certainly stay in print, celebrating milestones, may be kept on the down-low if talked about at all.

Tom Tivnan, managing editor of The Bookseller magazine noted: "I was talking to foreign publishers about the anniversary, and they said, 'We're going to be very quiet about this. Even saying her name on social media gets publishers drawn into a debate they don't want to get into. They just want to publish books. So they're ignoring it.

Apparently Emma Watson daring to hold a progressive opinion is considered crime of the century.

- Bint (@PalBint) June 25, 2022

The backlash against Rowling began in 2020 when accusations of transphobia were made after she tweeted "People who menstruate. I'm sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?"

Watson responded at the time and took to Twitter to speak out about J.K.'s comments. "Trans people are who they say they are and deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned or told they aren't who they say they are. I want my trans followers to know that I and so many other people around the world see you, respect you, and love you for who you are. I donate to @Mermaids_Gender and @mamacash. If you can, perhaps you'll feel inclined to do the same. Happy #PRIDE2020 Sending love x."

Those saying that Emma Watson shouldn't bite the hand that feeds, or that she should be grateful to JK Rowling, forget Rowling's own quote from Dumbledore in the HP books: "It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends."

- David Hatton Books (@davidhattonbook) June 25, 2022

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Emma Watson critisized for refusing to work with J.K. Rowling

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Emma Watson said she is unwilling to return to the 'Harry Potter' franchise if J.K. Rowling is involved in any way.

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Emma Watson Wins Praise For Subtle Show Of Solidarity With Trans Community At The Baftas

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Her support on transgender people also brought her praise for the kindness and equality her gave to ‘queer groups’, which was also praised by feminist groups as showing a generous thoughtful figure of women.

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Emma Watson has won praise from fans following her appearance at this year's Baftas, during which she made a subtle show of solidarity with the transgender community.

The Harry Potter star was among the celebrity presenters at Sunday night's ceremony, with host Rebel Wilson introducing her by joking: " Here to present the next award is Emma Watson. She calls herself a feminist, but we all know she's a witch."

Before presenting her category, Emma then told the crowd that she is "here for all the witches".

She quickly got the thumbs up on Twitter, with her comment being widely interpreted as a display of solidarity with trans women.

Many also picked up on the fact Emma's remark came after Harry Potter author JK Rowling had commented on several issues relating to trans people in the days leading up the Baftas.

This included criticising Labour leader Keir Starmer, after he said that "trans women are women, and that is not just my view - that is actually the law".

Rowling also recently voiced her opposition to a proposed amendment to the Gender Recognition Reform Bill in Scotland - which would make it easier for trans people to have their gender legally recognised - and claimed that "innumerable gay people" had told her they share her views about gender and biological sex.

In recent history, JK Rowling has come under fire over remarks she's made about the transgender community on several occasions.

Last year, she responded to an article headlined "creating a more equal post-Covid-19 world for people who menstruate", tweeting: "'People who menstruate.' I'm sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?"

Rowling - who has repeatedly denied that she is transphobic - was , later accused of invalidating trans people defending her comments by saying: "If sex isn't real, there's no same-sex attraction."

Taylor Hill via Getty Images

A year later, Rowling was criticised when she spoke out in defence of Maya Forstater , who had been accused of using "offensive and exclusionary" language in a number of tweets relating to proposed changes to the Gender Recognition Act, which would allow self-identification.

She said she had "accidentally pasted in" a sentence, which appeared to have been copied from an article about transgender activist Tara Wolf.

In June 2020, while Rowling was at the centre of a backlash regarding her views about gender and biological sex, Emma tweeted: "Trans people are who they say they are and deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned or told they aren't who they say they are.

"I want my trans followers to know that I and so many other people around the world see you, respect you and love you for who you are."

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Emma Watson Wins Praise For Subtle Show Of Solidarity With Trans Community At The Baftas

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Some fans on social media felt the Harry Potter star was taking a stand against JK Rowling's views.

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Considered as a charming Hollywood star and a standard feminist, gossip about Emma Watson’s private life was also a popular topic.

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Emma Watson addresses Prince Harry dating rumors | CNN

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“Also…..marrying a Prince not a prerequisite for being a Princess.”

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“Also…..marrying a Prince not a prerequisite for being a Princess.”

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It was heard of that Watson had secret dating with Prince Harry in 2015.
She not only deny the rumors but also successfully left a satisfying word to inspire females all over the world as a model of feminist,
“I am a princess. All girls are; even if they live in tiny old attics, even if they dress in rags, even if they aren’t pretty or smart or young, they’re still princesses.” “Also…..marrying a Prince not a prerequisite for being a Princess.”

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Emma Watson addresses Prince Harry dating rumors | CNN

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“Remember that little talk we had about not believing everything written in the media?!” the actor and activist said on Twitter.

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The romantic rumors between her and other HP actors as former partners.

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The romantic rumors between her and other HP actors as former partners.

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There were so many rumors about the relationship between Watson and her former partners in HP series, and it has always been a popular topic for such a long period.
It could tell that the effect of HP series or the image of Hermione Granger was so tightly twined with that of Watson that audiences often confused the two.

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Top ten most popular searches when you type “ Emma Watson and …”

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Top ten most popular searches when you type “ Emma Watson and …”

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Apart from the official couple in HP series, Hermione with Ron, there were also a massive fans who vote for other “right match” for Hermione.

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In Watson’s latest film, she cast Margaret March (“Meg”), a role embodied female power and growth. The characteristic of this character, or even larger, all of those classic characters Watson shaped partly resembled a girl/ female power, which matches with her image of a feminist.
Also, through the experience of Meg, Watson was inspired to rethink of her attitude on relationships and marriage.

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Emma Watson: Star failing to be 'normal' in a fantasy world

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Watson described herself as “self-partnered”.

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Watson described herself as “self-partnered”.

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Despite considering herself pretty normal, by describing herself as “self-partnered” last week, Watson was berated for “being one of the most annoying “people around“ (Daily Mail), “woke and wonky” (the Times) and “the death of female liberation” (New Statesman).

Feeling laden with anxiety for not having a baby, making a home or acquiring a husband – lifestyle ideals imposed on her, as she puts it, by “a bloody influx of subliminal messaging” – she said it took her “a long time” but that she was now happy and more at ease with her single self. In therapy-speak, this would translate to “reframing negative thinking to gain a kinder relationship to herself”. In Piers Morgan-speak, this was grunted out as “can’t get a bloke”.

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A year after filming wrapped on the final instalment of Harry Potter, the actress Helen McCrory, who played the dark witch Narcissa Malfoy, said that "so often when you meet child actors they're weird, they're freaks. No, I mean it," she added for emphasis. "They're really odd people."

Her co-star Emma Watson, the precocious daughter of two divorced lawyers, was nine when she was famously picked from a line-up in her school gym to audition for the role of Hermione Granger. If Watson was strange then, her life in the 20 years since has arguably been stranger still. An English graduate from Brown University. A United Nations goodwill ambassador fighting for gender equality. An activist and model who happens to have banked tens of millions of pounds in her day job as a Hollywood actress, Watson seems an earnest believer in the ability to use her fame for good. Her 2014 HeForShe campaign with the UN reportedly inspired Malala Yousafzai to identify as a feminist. Environmental activism and the launch of the online book club Our Shared Shelf followed, alongside a smattering of relatively unmemorable film roles despite her working with Sofia Coppola (2013's The Bling Ring) and Darren Aronofsky in (2014's Noah); Watson dropped out of Emma Stone's Oscar-winning role in La La Land to play Belle in Beauty and the Beast.

Greta Gerwig's forthcoming adaptation of Little Women, also starring Meryl Streep and Laura Dern, might hope to change that, but like the career model carved out by Angelina Jolie before her, it seems Watson's impact goes far beyond her film choices. Despite considering herself pretty normal, by describing herself as "self-partnered" last week, Watson was berated for "being one of the most annoying people around" ( Daily Mail), " woke and wanky" (the Times) and "the death of female liberation" ( New Statesman).

It's a lot to lay at the door of one young woman, but she nonetheless hit a public nerve. By apparently looking to reinvent an identity hitherto explained by the drably last-century concept of being, say, "happily single", Watson said that "self-partnering" was a state that she had reached on the precipice of turning 30.

Feeling laden with anxiety for not having a baby, making a home or acquiring a husband - lifestyle ideals imposed on her, as she puts it, by "a bloody influx of subliminal messaging" - she said it took her "a long time" but that she was now happy and more at ease with her single self. In therapy-speak, this would translate to "reframing negative thinking to gain a kinder relationship to herself". In Piers Morgan-speak, this was grunted out as "can't get a bloke".

For a woman who has grown up chased by the British paparazzi, and been frequently prodded by male chatshow hosts about her relationships, it's no surprise that she has tried to keep them under wraps. "I remember on my 18th birthday I came out of my birthday party and photographers lay down on the pavement and took photographs up my skirt," Watson once said at an event for HeForShe. The pictures were then published on the front of the British tabloids the next morning. "If they had published the photographs 24 hours earlier they would have been illegal, but because I had just turned 18 they were legal."

Watson is dating, though, as she also told . The point that she had tried to make, albeit clumsily, was that she was equally happy not to; just as Gwyneth Paltrow didn't invent the term "conscious uncoupling" to describe her divorce, neither has Watson coined self-partnering - both were established in the language of pop psychology gurus, books and woo-woo Instagram accounts.

The path from child star to relatable, functioning adult is not particularly well-worn but while Watson has eschewed the drama of drink, drugs, bankruptcy and public collapse the film industry has historically gifted its young talent, it's unsurprising that she still frequently shows herself up to be very much a product of her industry: indelibly sensitive and prone to navel-gazing. "It's so bizarre and otherworldly, what happened to me," she told Vogue, reflecting on her post-Potter fame. Watson has spoken at length of her two decades being subsumed by the mania of celebrity and the anxiety and vertigo-inducing disconnect that money, fame and adulation have given her. It's not a new narrative for the very rich and very famous, but it has often made her a target for cruelty, rather than sympathy. "There [are] a number of different ways, I think, I have found to come through this and to feel, to a certain degree - I'll let other people be the judge! - feel sane and feel normal," she said. "And I'm the most proud of that because sometimes I look at it all and I go: 'I was lucky to come out of the other side of that'." Everyone, she added in the cheesy vernacular of self-help, "is on their learning journey".

Over the summer Watson helped launch an advice line for women experiencing sexual harassment in British workplaces and has been at the forefront of championing the Time's Up campaign; at the 2018 Oscars she demonstrated her commitment to the cause by wearing a temporary tattoo that read TIMES UP [sic], prompting her to tweet: "Fake tattoo proofreading position available. Experience with apostrophes a must."

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Watson in Uruguay in 2014 as a UN goodwill ambassador for gender equality. Photograph: Xinhua News Agency/Rex

But while Watson has tried to make her case for remaining normal in an abnormal environment, the odds still go against her. The grand self-importance of her early twenties, when her public feminist awakening led to preaching in her interviews, was one phase. Being made acutely aware of the privilege her life afforded her even without the wealth and celebrity she accumulated was another. After meeting Reni Eddo-Lodge, the author of Why I Am No Longer Talking To White People About Race, Watson was wide-eyed with guilt. Last year she wrote an impassioned letter to her book club hosted on Good Reads, addressing criticism that she was simply "a white feminist".

"It would have been more useful to spend the time asking myself questions like: 'What are the ways I have benefited from being white? In what ways do I support and uphold a system that is structurally racist? How do my race, class and gender affect my perspective?'" she wrote. "There seemed to be many types of feminists and feminism. But instead of seeing these differences as divisive, I could have asked whether defining them was actually empowering and bringing about better understanding. But I didn't know to ask these questions."

In reality, Watson can't expect to project the everyday normality she is after, no matter how often she talks about being sad, anxious or still working it out. Better, then, to try to learn and do better, which seems a more natural way to relate to the millions of fans who look up to her.
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Emma Watson: Star failing to be 'normal' in a fantasy world

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A year after filming wrapped on the final instalment of Harry Potter, the actress Helen McCrory, who played the dark witch Narcissa Malfoy, said that "so often when you meet child actors they're weird, they're freaks. No, I mean it," she added for emphasis. "They're really odd people."

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Rottenberg, C. (2014). The Rise of Neoliberal Feminism. Cultural Studies, 28(3), pp.418–437. Rottenberg, C. (2017). Neoliberal Feminism and the Future of Human Capital. Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, 42(2), pp.329–348. doi:https://doi.org/10.1086/688182.