Emma Watson on Embracing Celebrity Life and Balancing a Sense of Privacy
Emma Watson is no stranger to fame, having been part of the cast that brought the Harry Potter storybooks to life on the big screen, she’s a legend in the entertainment world. Her career didn’t just stop there either, she’s continued to play some incredible roles in her career – which is just getting started – and she’s used her platform to inspire young adults, specifically women, and to be a voice for change.
Emma does, however, have a handle on her private life and while she does incredibly well in the spotlight, she likes being able to separate her ‘celebrity’ from her personal life and she is grateful for those who allow her the privacy to do so.
She spoke with Jessica Chastain recently for an interview where Emma spoke of fashion, Harry Potter, and the importance of remaining yourself, even in an industry such as the one she grew up in.
“It’s one of the things that I struggle with because the three of us—Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and I—were kids when we got cast in this fairy-tale series, and what happened to us was kind of a fantasy story in itself. Outside of the movies. So the story of my life has been of public interest, which is why I’ve been so passionate about having a private identity. When I step into a character, people have to be able to suspend their disbelief; they have to be able to divorce me from that girl.”
Jessica asked if she felt like she could make mistakes and then have the ability to learn from them. Emma gave an honest answer to that question that made us love her even more.
‘I know that I’m under a different microscope, a certain level of scrutiny, which I find really hard at times. And sometimes the fear of doing things is overwhelming. I get incredibly overwhelmed, and sometimes feel hemmed in by that, afraid of that. But I know that if I live in that fear, then my life as an artist, as a human being, really, is over. Ultimately, it will silence me, and it will silence what is in me—which I have yet to explore and uncover. People couldn’t believe it when, after Harry Potter, I was like, “I’m going to school.” Essentially, I took five years out to study, doing only a few smaller projects, and, to a lot of people, it seemed like I was passing up a lot of opportunity. I received a lot of angry phone calls. But I needed the space to go and explore who I was, without being under the microscope.’
Her ability to remain both humble and vulnerable is admirable in someone who was exposed to this world so quickly when she was so young. The entire interview is amazing, and you’ll find yourself inspired by the end of it, as well as an even bigger fan of Emma’s. From the opening line where she thanks Jessica for asking where she was so she could just say she was in the bath and not have some awkward water noises later, to talking about her love of hip-hop – we’ve never wanted to be her best friend more than we do right now.
‘…but I knew him’
