HARRY POTTER Star Emma Watson Reveals Why She Stepped Away From Acting for 7 Years
Starring in a global phenomenon like Harry Potter can set an actor up for life, but it also comes with an intense amount of pressure. The filming schedules are long, the press tours are grueling, and the spotlight never really fades.
For Emma Watson, who brought Hermione Granger to life in all eight Harry Potter films, the demands of the job eventually pushed her to step away from acting altogether.
In a recent interview with Hollywood Authentic, Watson opened up about why she took a seven-year break from Hollywood and how much of it had to do with the parts of the job that take place off camera.
“In some ways I really won the lottery [with acting], and what happened to me is so unusual. But a bigger component than the actual job itself is the promotion and selling of that piece of work, this piece of art.
“The balance of that can get quite thrown off. I think I’ll be honest and straightforward, and say: I do not miss selling things. I found that to be quite soul-destroying. But I do very much miss using my skill-set, and I very much miss the art. I just found I got to do so little of the bit that I actually enjoyed.”
Watson went on to talk about how much she loved the creative side of acting once the cameras started rolling.
“The moment you get on a film set, you don’t get very long for rehearsal. But the moment you get to talk through a scene – or I got to prepare and think about how I wanted to do something – and then the minute the camera rolls, and getting to just completely forget about everything else in the world other than that one moment – it’s such an intense form of meditation. Because you just cannot be anywhere else. It’s so freeing. I miss that profoundly. But I don’t miss the pressure.”
For years, fans have hoped to see Watson reunite with Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint in a film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Even director Chris Columbus, who helmed the first two movies, has said he’d love to see it happen, though he admitted it would be “impossible” because of the complicated relationship between the cast and series creator J.K. Rowling.
But even if the project somehow moved forward, Watson’s feelings about the marketing machine behind blockbuster films make it unlikely she’d want to return.
A movie like The Cursed Child would put her front and center in a massive global press tour, and given her comments, that’s the exact part of acting she has no interest in revisiting.
That doesn’t mean she’s closed the door on acting forever. There’s always the possibility she could step into a new franchise at some point, but those projects come with just as much pressure and promotion. Unless she found a way to limit her marketing obligations, it may not be the right fit for her.
For now, Watson seems content to stay away from the spotlight. She misses the art, not the grind, and that distinction says everything about why she chose to walk away from Hollywood for so long.
Whether or not she eventually makes a big-screen comeback, she’s already left a lasting mark as one of the most beloved characters in modern cinema.