Emma Watson has opened up about how she considered leaving her famous role as Hermione Granger in Harry Potter during her teen years.
Speaking on the 20th anniversary special of the hugely popular movie franchise, Order of the Phoenix director David Yates revealed that Watson had pondered exiting the film franchise amid the height of its fame.
“I can see that. At times, I was lonely,” Watson acknowledged on Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts.
“I think I was scared,” she explained. “I don’t know if you ever felt like it got to a tipping point when you were like… ‘This is kind of forever now’.”
Watson added, “The fame thing had finally hit home – in a big way. No one had to convince me to see it through. The fans genuinely wanted me to succeed and they all genuinely have each other’s backs. How great is that?”
In the special, Emma’s co-star Rupert Grint – who played Ron Weasley – added that he also felt immense pressure throughout filming for the franchise.
“I also had kind of similar feelings to Emma, kind of contemplating what life would be like if I called it a day.
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“But we never really spoke about it, I guess we were just kind of going through it at our own pace, and we were kind of in the moment at the time. It just didn’t really occur to us that we were all probably having similar feelings.”
Tom Felton – who played Harry’s nemesis Draco Malfoy – later gave props to Watson for showing “grace” under pressure, despite her young age at the time.
“Dan and Rupert, they had each other, I had my cronies, whereas Emma was not only younger, she was by herself,” he explained.
It seems that her moment of doubt passed, with Watson writing about her amazing experience on the 20th anniversary of Harry Potter & the Sorcerer’s Stone.
In a sweet Instagram post last month, Watson reflected on her journey, saying, “Harry Potter was my home, my family, my world and Hermione (still is) my favourite fictional character of all time.
“I think a journalist once said it was irritating how many times during an interview I mentioned how lucky I was and started counting… BUT I DAMN WELL KNEW!!! And still know,” Emma wrote on Instagram alongside snaps from the Harry Potter movies.
“I am proud not just of what we as group contributed as actors to the franchise but also as the children that became young adults that walked that path,” Emma continued.
“I look at my fellow cast members now and I am just so proud of who everyone has become as people. I am proud we were kind to each other that we supported one another and that we held up something meaningful.”
Emma went on to thank Harry Potter fans who continue to love the movies and books years after the final movie following in 2011.
“Thank you to the fans that have continued to show their support well after the last chapter closed. The magic of the world wouldn’t exist without you.
“Thank you for fighting to make it such an inclusive and loving place,” Emma added.
“I still miss the crew who made these films all the time. Thank you for all of your hard work too – I know your contributions sometimes get overlooked.”
Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts will “tell an enchanting making-of story through all-new in-depth interviews and cast conversations,” as per HBO Max.
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