From 2011 to 2014, Watson split her time between working on films and continuing her education, graduating fromBrown University with abachelor's degree inEnglish literature in May 2014. That year, she was appointed aUN WomenGoodwill Ambassador and helped launch the UN Women campaignHeForShe, which advocates forgender equality. In 2018, she helped launchTime's Up UK as a founding member. Watson was appointed to aG7 advisory body for women's rights in 2019, consulting with leaders onforeign policy. Her modelling work has included campaigns forBurberry andLancôme. She also lent her name to a clothing line for the sustainable brandPeople Tree. From 2020 to 2023, she sat on the board of directors ofKering, a luxury brand group, in her capacity as an advocate forsustainable fashion.
Early life and education
Emma Charlotte Duerre Watson[5] was born on 15 April 1990 inParis, to English lawyers Jacqueline Luesby and Chris Watson.[6][7][8][9] Watson lived inMaisons-Laffitte near Paris until age five. Her parents divorced when she was five, and Watson moved to England to live with her mother inOxfordshire while spending weekends at her father's house in London.[7][10][11] Watson has said she speaks some French, though "not as well" as she used to.[12] After moving toOxford with her mother and brother, she attended theDragon School, remaining there until 2003.[7] From age six, she wanted to become an actress,[citation needed] and trained at the Oxford branch ofStagecoach Theatre Arts, a part-time theatre school where she studied singing, dancing, and acting.[13]
By age ten, Watson had performed in Stagecoach productions and school plays includingArthur: The Young Years andThe Happy Prince,[14] but she had never acted professionally prior to theHarry Potter series. After the Dragon School, Watson moved on toHeadington School, Oxford.[7] While on film sets, she and her castmates were tutored for up to five hours a day.[15] In June 2006, she tookGCSE school examinations in ten subjects, achieving eight A* and two A grades. In May 2007, she tookAS levels in English, Geography, Art, and History of Art. The following year, she dropped History of Art to pursue the threeA levels, receiving an A grade in each subject.[7][16][17]
Watson took agap year after finishing secondary school,[18] to filmHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Parts 1&2 beginning in February 2009,[19] but asserted that she intended to continue her studies[20] and later confirmed she had chosenBrown University inProvidence, Rhode Island.[21] In March 2011, after 18 months at the university, Watson announced she was deferring her course for "a semester or two",[22] though she attendedWorcester College, Oxford during the 2011–12 academic year as part of theVisiting Student Programme.[23][24] In a 2014 interview onThe Ellen DeGeneres Show, Watson said just before graduation that it took five years to finish her degree instead of four because, owing to her acting work, she "ended up taking two full semesters off".[25] On 25 May 2014, she graduated from Brown University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature.[26] In 2023, she began a course of Master of Studies in creative writing at the University of Oxford, where she matriculated atLady Margaret Hall.[27] She completed the requirements for her Masters and progressed to studying a DPhil in 2025.[28]
Acting career
1999–2009:Harry Potter and worldwide recognition
In 1999, casting began forHarry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the film adaptation of British authorJ. K. Rowling's best-sellingnovel.[29] Casting agents found Watson through her Oxford theatre teacher. She had acted in school plays, but had no film acting experience. Her first audition took place when she was nine years old.[a] Although Watson had to audition a total of eight times before earning the role, Rowling supported her casting after her firstscreen test.[31] Prior to casting Watson, the producers consideredHatty Jones for the role.[33]
The release ofHarry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in 2001 was Watson's debut screen performance. The film broke records for opening-day sales and opening-weekend takings and was the highest-grossing film of 2001.[34][35] Critics singled out Watson for particular acclaim;The Daily Telegraph called her performance "admirable",[36] andIGN said she "stole the show".[37] Watson was nominated for five awards for her performance inPhilosopher's Stone, winning theYoung Artist Award for Leading Young Actress.[38] She was chosen as one ofEntertainment Weekly's Breakout Performers of 2001.[39]
A year later, Watson reprised her role as Hermione inHarry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the second instalment of the series. Reviewers praised the lead actors' performances. TheLos Angeles Times said Watson and her co-stars had matured between films,[40] whileThe Times criticised directorChris Columbus for "under-employing" Watson's hugely popular character.[41] Watson received an Otto Award from the German magazineBravo for her performance.[42]
In 2004,Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was released. Watson was appreciative of the more assertive role Hermione played, calling her "charismatic" and "a fantastic role to play".[43] Critics lauded Watson's performance;A. O. Scott ofThe New York Times remarked: "Luckily Mr. Radcliffe's blandness is offset by Ms. Watson's spiky impatience. Harry may show off his expanding wizardly skills ... but Hermione ... earns the loudest applause with a decidedly unmagical punch toDraco Malfoy's deserving nose."[44] AlthoughPrisoner of Azkaban proved to be the lowest-grossingHarry Potter film in the entire series, Watson's performance won her two Otto Awards and the Child Performance of the Year award fromTotal Film.[45][46]
WithHarry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), both Watson and theHarry Potter film series reached new milestones. The film set records for aHarry Potter opening weekend and opening weekend in the UK. Critics praised the increasing maturity of Watson and her teenage co-stars;The New York Times called her performance "touchingly earnest",[47] andPeter Bradshaw ofThe Guardian wrote that "Watson's gutsy, confident performance nicely shows that inside and outside the world of magic there is a growing discrepancy between a teenage girl's status and her accelerating emotional and intellectual development."[48] For Watson, much of the film's humour sprang from the tension among the three lead characters as they matured. She said, "I loved all the arguing. ... I think it's much more realistic that they would argue and that there would be problems."[49] Nominated for three awards forGoblet of Fire, Watson won a bronzeOtto Award.[50][51] Watson almost quit the franchise afterGoblet of Fire, saying, "I think I was scared. I don’t know if you ever felt like it got to a tipping point where you were like, 'this is kind of forever now.'"[52]
In 2006, Watson played Hermione inThe Queen's Handbag, a special mini-episode ofHarry Potter in celebration ofQueen Elizabeth II's 80th birthday.[53] The fifth film in theHarry Potter series,Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, was released in 2007. A huge financial success, the film set a record worldwide opening-weekend gross of $332.7 million.[54] Watson won the inauguralNational Movie Award for Best Female Performance.[55] As the fame of the actress and the series continued to rise, Watson and herHarry Potter co-stars Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint left imprints of their hands, feet and wands in front ofGrauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood on 9 July 2007.[56] That month, Watson's work on theHarry Potter series was said to have earned her more than £10 million, and she acknowledged she would never have to work for money again.[57]
Prior to the release ofOrder of the Phoenix, the future of theHarry Potter series was in jeopardy, as all three lead actors were hesitant to sign on to continue their roles for the final installments.[58] Watson was considerably more ambivalent than her co-stars during renegotiations.[59] She explained that the decision was significant, as the films represented a further four-year commitment to the role, but eventually conceded that she "could never let [the role of] Hermione go",[60] signing for the role on 23 March 2007.[61]
Principal photography for the sixthHarry Potter film began in late 2007, with Watson's part being filmed from 18 December to 17 May 2008.[70][71]Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince premiered on 15 July 2009,[72] having been delayed from November 2008.[73] With the lead actors in their late teens, critics were increasingly willing to review them on the same level as the rest of the franchise's all-star cast, which theLos Angeles Times described as "a comprehensive guide to contemporary UK acting".[74]The Washington Post felt Watson had given "[her] most charming performance to date",[75] whileThe Daily Telegraph described the lead actors as "newly liberated and energised, eager to give all they have to what's left of the series".[76]
Watson's filming for the final instalment,Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, began on 18 February 2009[77] and ended on 12 June 2010.[78] For financial and scripting reasons, the original book was divided into two films which were shot consecutively.[79][19]Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 was released in November 2010 while the second film was released in July 2011.[80]Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 became a commercial and critical success. Thehighest-grossing film in the franchise, it grossed more than $1.3 billion worldwide and proved to be Watson's most commercially successful film to date.[81]
2010–2016: Independent films and mainstream work
Watson appeared in a music video forOne Night Only, after meeting lead singerGeorge Craig at the 2010 Winter/Summer Burberry advertising campaign. The video, "Say You Don't Want It", was screened onChannel 4 on 26 June 2010 and released on 16 August.[82] In her first post-Harry Potter film, Watson appeared inMy Week with Marilyn (2011) as Lucy, a wardrobe assistant who briefly dates protagonist Colin Clark, portrayed byEddie Redmayne.[83][84]
In May 2010, Watson was reported to be in talks to star inStephen Chbosky'sThe Perks of Being a Wallflower,[85] based on the1999 novel of the same name. Filming began in summer of 2011, and the film was released in September 2012.[86] Watson starred oppositeLogan Lerman as Sam, a high school senior who befriends a fellow student called Charlie (Lerman), and helps him through hisfreshman year. The film opened to favourable reviews; David Sexton of theEvening Standard opined that Watson's performance was "plausible and touching",[87] whileThe Atlantic reviewer thought that Watson "sheds the memory of a decade playing Hermione in theHarry Potter series with an about-face as a flirtatious but insecure free spirit.[88]
Watson joined the cast of the satirical crime filmThe Bling Ring on 29 February 2012,[89] TheSofia Coppola-directed film is based on the real-lifeBling Ring robberies, with Watson playing a fictionalised version ofAlexis Neiers, a television personality who was one of seven teenagers involved in the robberies. The film was released in 2013. While the film mostly received mixed reviews, critics gave almost unanimous praise for Watson's performance. Adam White ofThe Independent later stated that "She prove[d] remarkable.... Watson oozes casual disdain. Her sticky American vocal fry is clipped and monotone, as if she's swallowed a Kardashian for breakfast."[90] Watson also had a supporting role in the apocalyptic comedyThis Is the End (2013), in which she,Seth Rogen,James Franco and many others played "exaggerated versions of themselves"[91] and Watson memorably dropped the "f-bomb".[92] She said she could not pass up the opportunity to make her first comedy and "work with some of the best comedians [...] in the world right now".[93]
In June 2012, Watson was confirmed for the role as Ila,Shem's wife, inDarren Aronofsky'sNoah, which began filming the following month, and was released in March 2014.[94] Watson referred to the role as "physically very demanding" given the usage ofspecial effects and did extensive research onchildbirth to effectively portray a scene in the film.[95] The film, a box office success, received mixed reviews for its direction and casting;Vanity Fair wrote that "Watson anchors the film's rawest emotional scenes.... Sitting on an Icelandic beach withRussell Crowe, her hair wild and eyes burning, Watson is quiet but ferocious."[96] In March 2013, it was reported that Watson was in negotiations to star as the title character inKenneth Branagh'slive-action Disney adaptation ofCinderella.[97] Watson was offered the role, but turned it down because she did not connect with the character.[98][99] The role ultimately went toLily James.[100]
Watson performed the background vocals in the second chorus of the song "Pantomime" by singer Ben Hammersley, alongsideÓlafur Arnalds. The song was released on 20 January 2014.[101]
Watson joinedJudi Dench,Robert Downey Jr.,Mike Leigh,Julia Louis-Dreyfus, andMark Ruffalo as recipients of the 2014Britannia Awards, presented on 30 October in Los Angeles. Watson was awarded British Artist of the Year and she dedicated the prize to Millie, her pet hamster who died as Watson was filmingHarry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.[102] Watson starred in two 2015 releases, the thrillersColonia, oppositeDaniel Brühl andMichael Nyqvist;[103] andRegression byAlejandro Amenábar, alongsideEthan Hawke and herHarry Potter co-starDavid Thewlis.[104][105] Both of these films received generally negative reviews;[106][107]The Daily Telegraph critic blamedRegression's script for her "pure dramatic cardboard" role.[108] She also appeared in an episode of BBC'sThe Vicar of Dibley, in which she played Reverend Iris.[109] In February 2016, Watson announced she was taking a year-long break from acting. She planned to spend the time on her "personal development" and her women's rights work.[110]
Watson starred asBelle in the2017 live-action Disney adaptation ofBeauty and the Beast directed byBill Condon, and starring oppositeDan Stevens as theBeast.[111] She was given autonomy within Belle's portrayal; she re-characterised her as an assistant to her inventor father and incorporatedbloomers andboots into her wardrobe.[112] The film grossed over $1.2 billion at the worldwide box office and emerged as thesecond-highest-grossing film of 2017 and the 17th-highest-grossing film of all time.[113] Her reported fee was $3 million upfront withprofit participation, bringing her salary up to $15 million.[114] The film garnered positive reviews;Richard Roeper of theChicago Sun-Times thought her performance was "all pluck and spunk and sass and smarts and fierce independence as Belle".[113][115][116] Watson later said "When I finished the film, it kind of felt like I had made that transition into being a woman on-screen".[112]
In the same year, she starred oppositeTom Hanks in thefilm adaptation ofDave Eggers' novelThe Circle as Mae Holland, who begins working at a powerful tech corporation and enters a perilous situation concerningsurveillance and freedom.[117] The film received negative reviews but was a moderate box office success.[118] In 2019, Watson starred asMeg March inGreta Gerwig'sadaptation ofLouisa May Alcott's novelLittle Women, co-starring withSaoirse Ronan,Florence Pugh,Laura Dern,Timothée Chalamet, andMeryl Streep.[119] On the premise, Watson has stated "I think [Little Women] was good literary device to explain that there's not one way to be a feminist.... [Meg's] way of being a feminist is making the choice – because that's really, for me anyway, what feminism is about. Her choice is that she wants to be a full-time mother and wife."[120]Forbes stated that "Watson has perhaps the most challenging [...] role, as the proverbialstraight woman of the sisters who is put on the defensive when her dreams end up being the most conventional of the lot."[121] The film was critically acclaimed and grossed over $218 million against its $40 million budget.[122][123][124]In 2020, Watson discussed her future career plans, stating: "Having been so public in making films and being so active on social [media] in my activism, I am curious to embrace a role where I work to amplify more voices, to continue to learn from those with different experiences", adding that her work would include "fewer red carpets and more conference meetings".[125] In 2021, various reports surfaced stating that Watson was engaged or retiring.[126][127] Watson and her representatives refuted these reports; she later labelled the speculation asclickbait and cited her relative public absence to continuedsocial distancing during theCOVID-19 pandemic.[128] In 2022, Watson reunited with multiple cast members of theHarry Potter film series for anHBO Max special titledHarry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts.[129] The following year, Watson revealed in an interview with theFinancial Times that a reason why she had not acted in almost five years was because she "wasn't very happy" with the profession and that she felt "a bit caged". However, she went on to say that she would "absolutely" return to acting while also saying, "But I'm happy to sit and wait for the next right thing. I love what I do. It's finding a way to do it where I don't have to fracture myself into different faces and people. And I just don't want to switch into robot mode any more."[130]
Fashion career
In 2005, Watson began her modelling career with a photo shoot forTeen Vogue, which made her the youngest person to cover the magazine.[6] Three years later, the British press reported that Watson was to replaceKeira Knightley as the face ofChanel, but this was denied by both parties.[131] In June 2009, following several months of rumours, Watson confirmed she would be partnering withBurberry as the face of their Autumn/Winter 2009 campaign, for which she received an estimated six-figure fee.[132][133] She also appeared in Burberry's 2010 Spring/Summer campaign alongside her brother Alex, musicians George Craig and Matt Gilmour, and model Max Hurd.[134] In February 2011, Watson was awarded the Style Icon award from BritishElle byDame Vivienne Westwood.[135] Watson continued her involvement in fashion advertising when she announced she had been chosen as the face ofLancôme in March 2011.[136]
In September 2009, Watson announced her involvement withPeople Tree, afair trade fashion brand.[137] Watson worked as a creative adviser for the company to create a spring line of clothing, which was released in February 2010;[137][138] the range featured styles inspired by southern France and London.[138][139] The collection, described byThe Times as "very clever" despite their "quiet hope that [she] would become tangled at the first hemp-woven hurdle",[140] was widely publicised in magazines such asTeen Vogue,[141]Cosmopolitan, andPeople. Watson, who was not paid for the collaboration,[142] admitted that competition for the range was minimal,[140] but argued that "Fashion is a great way to empower people and give them skills; rather than give cash to charity you can help people by buying the clothes they make and supporting things they take pride in"; adding, "I think young people like me are becoming increasingly aware of the humanitarian issues surroundingfast fashion and want to make good choices but there aren't many options out there."[140] Watson continued her involvement with People Tree, resulting in the release of a 2010 Autumn/Winter collection.[143]
In 2013,Madame Tussauds in London unveiled a wax statue of Watson wearing anElie Saabhaute couture design donated to the museum by the designer. A spokesperson for the museum stated, "[Watson] is one of the most requested personalities by our guests. She's a trueEnglish rose known and loved by millions of film and fashion fans around the world".[144][145] Watson was awarded Best British Style at the 2014British Fashion Awards.[146] The competition includedDavid Beckham,Amal Clooney,Kate Moss, and Keira Knightley.[147]
Watson has been described as "an early adopter ofsustainable fashion" and is noted for dressing ethically on the red carpet.[148][149] She wore aCalvin Klein gown to the 2016Met Gala made out of recycled plastic bottles.[150] Watson has supported Good On You, an app that acts as a directory for the sustainability level of fashion brands.[151] In 2017, she began updating an Instagram account entitled "The Press Tour", detailing the ethical brands she wore during the press tours for films such asBeauty and the Beast andThe Circle. Watson guest-edited the March 2018 issue ofVogue Australia focusing on fashion sustainability, and was photographed byPeter Lindbergh for the magazine.[152][153] In January 2020, she partnered with consignment website ThredUP to launch a "Fashion Footprint Calculator", which allows website visitors to calculate thecarbon impact of their wardrobes and ways to reduce it.[154]
In June 2020, Watson was appointed the youngest member of the board of directors ofKering, the owner of various fashion brands such asGucci andYves Saint Laurent. Watson will chair Kering's sustainability committee. Kering chairmanFrançois-Henri Pinault praised the new board members' "knowledge and competences, and the multiplicity of their backgrounds and perspectives".[155] Watson stated she "hope[d] to influence decisions that will impact future generations and the world that we leave them" and was "extremely excited" to collaborate with theKering Foundation as part of theirwomen's rights work and looked forward to making a difference "behind the scenes".[125] She served in this capacity until 2023.[156]
In August 2022, Watson became the face ofPrada Beauty's new fragrance Paradoxe. She starred in, directed, wrote and narrated the short film for the fragrance's promotional campaign.[157] In January 2024, Watson became the face of Prada's Re-Nylon collection, the sustainable product line of the brand.[158][159]
Activism and advocacy
"It is time that we all perceive gender on a spectrum not as two opposing sets of ideals. [...] I want men to take up this mantle. So their daughters, sisters and mothers can be free from prejudice but also so that their sons have permission to be vulnerable and human too [...] and in doing so be a more true and complete version of themselves."
Watson is an outspokenfeminist.[161][162] She has promoted education for girls, travelling to Bangladesh and Zambia to do so.[163] In July 2014, she was appointed aUN WomenGoodwill ambassador.[164] That September, an admittedly nervous Watson[160] delivered an address atUN Headquarters in New York City to launch the UN Women campaignHeForShe, which aims to urge men to advocate forgender equality. In that speech she said she began questioning gender-based assumptions at age eight when she was called "bossy", a trait she has attributed to her being a "perfectionist",[165] whilst boys were not, and at 14 when she was "sexualised by certain elements of the media".[166] Watson's speech described feminism as "the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities" and declared that the perception of feminism as being "man-hating" is something that "has to stop".[160] The speech made worldwide headlines from both major news outlets andfashion blogs, and the organisation's website crashed after press coverage of the event.[112] Watson later said she received threats within less than twelve hours of making the speech, which left her "raging. [...] If they were trying to put me off [women's rights work], it did the opposite."[167]
Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, the executive director of UN Women, stated, "For a time, there was a conversation about whether 'feminism' was a good thing or a bad thing... [Her speech] gave us the word back."[112] In 2015,Malala Yousafzai told Watson she decided to call herself a feminist after hearing her speech.[168]
Watson's butterfly themed "Flutterby Bear" (right), one of fiftyPaddington Bears along 'The Paddington Trail' in London, auctioned for theNSPCC
Also in September, Watson made her first country visit as a UN Women Goodwill ambassador to Uruguay, where she gave a speech at theLegislative Palace inMontevideo highlighting the need for women's political participation.[169] In November 2014, Watson designed aPaddington Bear statue, one of fifty located around London prior to the release of the filmPaddington, which was auctioned to raise funds for theNational Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC).[170] In December, theMs. Foundation for Women named Watson its Feminist Celebrity of 2014, following an online poll.[171] Watson also gave a speech about gender equality in January 2015, at theWorld Economic Forum's annual winter meeting.[172]
Watson took the top spot on theAskMen "Top 99 Outstanding Women 2015" list on the strength of having "thrown her back" into women's rights issues.[173] In the same year, Watson was included on theTime 100 list of the world's most influential people, her first-ever appearance on the list. For its recap, formerNew York Times editorJill Abramson noted Watson's "gutsy, smart take on feminism" and called her effort to get men involved "refreshing".[174]
Watson has citedGloria Steinem andMaya Angelou as influences.[175] In January 2016, Watson started a feministGoodreads book club:Our Shared Shelf.[176] The goal of the club is to share feminist ideas and encourage discussion on the topic. One book is selected per month and is discussed in the last week of that month.[176] The first book to be selected wasMy Life on the Road by Steinem, whom Watson would later interview that February at the How to: Academy in London.[177][178]Our Shared Shelf ceased updates in January 2020, but continues to be open as a discussion board for recommendations.[179]
On 2016International Day of the Girl Child, Watson visited Malawi to meet with traditional chiefs and girls who returned to school after being freed from child marriage.[180] Watson has partnered with organisations such as Book Fairies and Books on the Underground to leave literature on public transit for consumption.[175]
In March 2017, Watson received backlash for aVanity Fair photo shoot in which one of the shots had her breasts partly visible, for which some in the news media accused her of hypocrisy.[181] Bemused by the controversy, she argued that "feminism is not a stick with which to beat other women" but is instead about freedom, liberation and equality, adding, "I really don't know what my tits have to do with it."[182][181]
Watson has discussed herwhite privilege in feminist spaces;[183] in an interview withBritishVogue, she commented, "I saw 'white feminism' coming up again and again, and I was like, 'Hey, this is clearly something that I have to meaningfully engage with. I have to understand this better".[184] She has written about intersectionality forOur Shared Shelf, discussing her self-reflection on "What are the ways I have benefited from being white? In what ways do I support and uphold a system that is structurally racist?"[185]
In July 2019, Watson helped launch a legalhelpline for people who have sufferedsexual harassment in the workplace. Legal advice is provided by Rights of Women, a charity which works to help women through the law.[191] In the same year, she joined aG7 gender equality advisory group convened by thepresident of France,Emmanuel Macron, to "call on G7 to make political and economic advances for women within their own countries" as well as a "centerpiece offoreign policy".[192] She attended their first meeting at theÉlysée Palace in Paris in February and attended the45th G7 summit in August as part of the committee.[193]
In July 2020, she partnered with Lodge and the WOW Foundation to spearhead a project reimagining theLondon Underground Map, renaming the 270 stops to spotlight women and non-binary people who have shaped the city's history. The initiative will consult writers, museums, and librarians and is set to be published byHaymarket Books onInternational Women's Day 2021.[196] Watson was among the 400 signatories in a letter calling for the UK government to include women in "decision-making roles" at the2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow.[197]
In June 2021, it was reported that Watson was part of a group of investors funding $12.5 million into FabricNano, a startup developing sustainable alternatives topetrochemical products.[198]
Watson has often been cited as arole model, though she shies away from the term, stating that "it puts the fear of god into [her]".[207] Her impact on teenage girls' view of women's rights has been referred to as the "Emma Watson effect", with respondents from aNational Citizen Service survey stating that her work in activism had inspired them to label themselves feminists.[208][209][210] In her initial post-Harry Potter career, she was noted to focus on smaller films rather than big-budget studio films.[90] Adam White ofThe Independent states that Watson's acting style possesses "a very human sensitivity and quiet strength".[90][211]
Describing Watson's off-screen persona,Derek Blasberg ofVanity Fair has called her "shy", "friendly, intelligent, and down to earth". Steinem has described her as "way more like a real person than a movie star", while authorbell hooks considers her to be part of "a very different, new breed [of actors] who are interested in being whole and having a holistic life, as opposed to being identified with just wealth and fame."[112]
Watson's character inHarry Potter has had a significant impact on pop culture; the actress has commented, "I have met fans [with] my face tattooed on their bod[ies]. I've met people who used theHarry Potter books to get through cancer. I don't know how to explain it, but theHarry Potter phenomenon steps into a different zone." Watson has been the subject of substantial media attention since the beginning of her career; on her eighteenth birthday she was photographed by paparazzi attempting to take pictures up her skirt, and she has been victim of numerousstalking threats. Watson does not takeselfies with fans, citing security concerns, and instead prefers to talk one-on-one during interactions.[112]
In March 2009, she was ranked sixth on theForbes list of "Most Valuable Young Stars"[212] and in February 2010, she was Hollywood's highest-paid female star, having earned an estimated £19 million in 2009.[213] In 2017,Forbes ranked her among the world's highest-paid actresses, with annual earnings of $14 million.[214] In 2013, Watson was BritishGQ's Woman of the Year and toppedEmpire's list of the 100 Sexiest Movie Stars.[215][216] Watson was found to be the sixth most admired woman in the world in global surveys conducted byYouGov in 2020.[217]
Watson was in a relationship with tech entrepreneur William Knight, from 2017 for two years,[220][221] and dated actorChord Overstreet in 2018.[222] In 2019, she described herself as single with the self-coined phrase "self-partnered".[223] She dated corporate executive Brandon Green from 2021 to 2023.[224][225][226]
On coping with intense fame from a young age, she has said that remaining rooted in her own identity helped her eventually "find peace".[227] In 2013, she had become certified to teach yoga and meditation. As part of this certification, she attended a week-long meditation course at a Canadian facility, in which residents are not allowed to speak, in order "to figure out how to be at home with myself".[228][229] Regarding her meditation training, she stated in an interview withElle Australia that an uncertain future meant finding "a way to always feel safe and at home within myself. Because I can never rely on a physical place."[230]
^"Interview".Ellen(video posted to official YouTube channel). 24 March 2014. Event occurs at 02:12–02:58. Syndicated.Archived from the original on 2 May 2014. Retrieved3 May 2014.
^Emma's auditioning experience. Harry Potter YouTube channel. 24 November 2023.Archived from the original on 22 August 2024. Retrieved22 August 2024 – via YouTube.
^Watson, Emma (28 November 2007)."Ballet Shoes interviews". Emma Watson's official website news. Archived fromthe original on 14 April 2009. Retrieved12 April 2009.
^Watson, Emma (22 May 2008)."Ballet Shoes interviews". Emma Watson's official website news. Archived fromthe original on 14 April 2009. Retrieved12 April 2009.
^Watson, Emma (17 February 2009)."Filming begins". Emma Watson's official website news. Archived fromthe original on 14 April 2009. Retrieved12 April 2009.
^Robinson, Joanna (8 March 2015)."Emma Watson on How Being Threatened for Speaking About Feminism Enraged and Motivated Her".Vanity Fair.Archived from the original on 9 March 2015. Retrieved9 March 2015.When they saw that the minute I stepped up and talked about women's rights I was immediately threatened. I mean within less than 12 hours I was receiving threats. ... It's funny, people were like, 'Oh she's going to be so disheartened by this.' ... I was just raging. It made me so angry that I was just like, 'This is why I have to be doing this. If they were trying to put me off, it did the opposite'.
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