Emma Charlotte Duerre Watson is an English actress and model. She rose to prominence
playing Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter film series; she was cast as Hermione at the
age of nine, having previously acted only in school plays. She starred in all eight
Harry Potter films, alongside Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint. Watson's work on the Harry
Potter series has earned her several awards and more than £10 million. She made her
modelling debut for Burberry's autumn/winter campaign in 2009. In October 2013, she was
voted Sexiest Female Movie Star in a worldwide poll conducted by Empire magazine. In May
2014, BuzzFeed dubbed her the "most flawless woman of the decade".
In 2007, Watson announced her involvement in The Tale of Despereaux and the television
adaptation of the novel Ballet Shoes, which was broadcast on 26 December 2007 to an audience
of 5.2 million. The Tale of Despereaux, based on the novel by Kate DiCamillo, was released
in 2008 and grossed more than US$86 million in worldwide sales. In 2012, she starred in
Stephen Chbosky's film adaptation of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and in 2014, she played
Ila in Darren Aronofsky's biblical epic Noah.
Early life Watson was born in Paris, the daughter of
British lawyers Jacqueline Luesby and Chris Watson. Watson lived in Paris until the age
of five. Her parents separated when she was young; following their divorce, she moved
back to her mother's native country, England, to live in Oxfordshire, spending weekends
at her father's house in London. Watson has stated that she speaks some French, though
"not as well" as she used to. After moving to Oxford with her mother and
brother, Watson attended the Dragon School in Oxford, remaining there until 2003. From
the age of six, she wanted to become an actress, and trained at the Oxford branch of Stagecoach
Theatre Arts, a part-time theatre school where she studied singing, dancing, and acting.
By the age of ten, she had performed in various Stagecoach productions and school plays, including
Arthur: The Young Years and The Happy Prince, but she had never acted professionally before
the Harry Potter series. Following the Dragon School, Watson moved on to Headington School.
While on film sets, she and her peers were tutored for up to five hours a day. In June
2006, she took GCSE school examinations in ten subjects, achieving eight A* and two A
grades. Career
1999–2003: Beginnings and breakthrough
In 1999, casting began for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the film adaptation
of British author J. K. Rowling's best-selling novel. Casting agents found Watson through
her Oxford theatre teacher, and producers were impressed by her confidence. After eight
auditions, producer David Heyman told Watson and fellow applicants Daniel Radcliffe and
Rupert Grint that they had been cast for the roles of the schoolfriends Hermione Granger,
Harry Potter and Ron Weasley respectively. Rowling supported Watson from her first screen
test. The release of Harry 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. Critics praised the performances
of the three leads, often singling out Watson for particular acclaim; The Daily Telegraph
called her performance "admirable", and IGN said she "stole the show". Watson was nominated
for five awards for her performance in Philosopher's Stone, winning the Young Artist Award for
Leading Young Actress. A year later, Watson again starred as Hermione
in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the second instalment of the series. Reviewers
praised the lead actors' performances. The Los Angeles Times said Watson and her peers
had matured between films, while The Times criticised director Chris Columbus for "under-employing"
Watson's hugely popular character. Watson received an Otto Award from the German magazine
Bravo for her performance. 2004–2011: Continued success with Harry
Potter
In 2004, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was released. Watson was appreciative
of the more assertive role Hermione played, calling her character "charismatic" and "a
fantastic role to play". Although critics panned Radcliffe's performance, labelling
him "wooden", they praised Watson; The New York Times lauded her performance, saying
"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 to Draco Malfoy's deserving nose." Although Prisoner of Azkaban
proved to be the lowest-grossing Harry Potter film of the entire series, Watson's personal
performance won her two Otto Awards and the Child Performance of the Year award from Total
Film. With Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,
both Watson and the Harry Potter film series reached new milestones. The film set records
for a Harry Potter opening weekend, a non-May opening weekend in the US, and an 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". For Watson, much of
the humour of the film 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." Nominated for three awards for Goblet of Fire, Watson
won a bronze Otto Award. Later that year, Watson became the youngest person to appear
on the cover of Teen Vogue, an appearance she reprised in August 2009. In 2006, Watson
played Hermione in The Queen's Handbag, a special mini-episode of Harry Potter in celebration
of Queen Elizabeth II's 80th birthday.
The fifth film in the Harry Potter franchise, 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. Watson won the inaugural National Movie Award for Best Female Performance.
As the fame of the actress and the series continued, Watson and fellow Harry Potter
co-stars Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint left imprints of their hands, feet and wands
in front of Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood on 9 July 2007.
By July 2007, Watson's work in the Harry Potter series was said to have earned her more than
£10 million, and she acknowledged she would never have to work for money again. In March
2009, she was ranked 6th on the Forbes list of "Most Valuable Young Stars", and in February
2010, she was named as Hollywood's highest paid female star, having earned an estimated
£19 million in 2009. Despite the success of Order of the Phoenix,
the future of the Harry Potter franchise became surrounded in doubt, as all three lead actors
were hesitant to sign on to continue their roles for the final two episodes. Radcliffe
eventually signed for the final films on 2 March 2007, but Watson was considerably more
hesitant. 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", signing for the role on 23 March 2007.
Watson's first non-Potter role was the 2007 BBC film Ballet Shoes, an adaptation of the
novel of the same title by Noel Streatfeild. The film's director, Sandra Goldbacher, commented
that Watson was "perfect" for the starring role of aspiring actress Pauline Fossil: "She
has a piercing, delicate aura that makes you want to gaze and gaze at her." Ballet Shoes
was broadcast in the UK on Boxing Day 2007 to an audience of 5.7 million viewers, to
mixed reviews. Watson also lent her voice to the role of Princess Pea in the animated
film The Tale of Despereaux, a children's comedy starring Matthew Broderick with Harry
Potter co-star Robbie Coltrane also starring in the film.
Principal photography for the sixth film began in late 2007, with Watson's part being filmed
from 18 December to 17 May 2008. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince premiered on 15
July 2009, having been delayed from November 2008. With the lead actors now in their late
teens, critics were increasingly willing to review them on the same level as the rest
of the film's all-star cast, which the Los Angeles Times described as "a comprehensive
guide to contemporary UK acting". The Washington Post felt Watson to have given "[her] most
charming performance to date", while The Daily Telegraph described the lead actors as "newly
liberated and energised, eager to give all they have to what's left of the series". The
Tale of Despereaux was released in December 2008 and grossed $87 million worldwide. In
December 2008, Watson stated she wanted to go to university after she completed the Potter
series. Watson's filming for the final instalment
of the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, began on 18 February
2009 and ended on 12 June 2010. For financial and scripting reasons, the original book was
divided into two films which were shot consecutively. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part
1 was released in November 2010 while the second film was released in July 2011.
She also appeared in a music video for One Night Only, after meeting lead singer George
Craig at the 2010 Winter/Summer Burberry advertising campaign. The video, "Say You Don't Want It",
was screened on Channel 4 on 26 June 2010 and released on 16 August. In her first post-Harry
Potter film, Watson appeared in 2011's My Week with Marilyn as Lucy, a wardrobe assistant
who has a few dates with the main character, Colin Clark.
2012–present
In May 2010, Watson was reported to be in talks to star in a film adaptation of The
Perks of Being a Wallflower. Filming began in summer 2011 and the film was released in
September 2012. In The Bling Ring, Watson stars as Nicki.
The film is based on the real-life Bling Ring robberies, with Watson playing a fictionalised
version of Alexis Neiers—a television personality who was one of seven teenagers involved in
the robberies. While the film mostly received mixed reviews, critics gave almost unanimous
praise for Watson's portrayal of Nicki in the film. Watson also had a supporting role
in the apocalyptic comedy This Is the End, where she played herself.
In June 2012, Watson was confirmed for the role of Ila in Darren Aronofsky's Noah, which
began filming the following month, and was released in March 2014. She has been in talks
to star in Guillermo del Toro's version of Beauty and the Beast. In March 2013, it was
reported that Watson was in negotiations to star as the titular character in a live-action
Disney adaptation of Cinderella. Kenneth Branagh was attached to direct the adaptation, while
Cate Blanchett had reportedly agreed to play the evil stepmother. Watson was offered the
role, but turned it down. Watson was attached in 2012 to the role of
Emma Forrest in a film adaptation of her memoir Your Voice in My Head. At the time, Harry
Potter director David Yates was attached. In a May 2013 interview, it appeared that
Watson was no longer attached as the film's star. Stanley Tucci stated that the role would
instead be played by Emily Blunt. However, by September 2013, it was confirmed that Watson
was once again involved in the production in the role of Forrest and that filming would
begin in November that year with a new director, Francesca Gregorini.
As of June 2013, Watson is set to work with Harry Potter producer David Heyman for her
next film Queen of the Tearling, based on a yet-to-be-released book trilogy. She will
lead the film as heroine Kelsea Glynn as well as being an executive producer. Warner Bros.
will distribute the film. It was reported in September 2013 that Watson
would star in While We're Young, the film adaptation of Adena Halpern's 2010 novel 29,
which focuses on a young-at-heart grandmother who would rather spend time with her granddaughter
than her daughter. The film will be directed by Stephen Chbosky, who Watson collaborated
with on The Perks of Being a Wallflower. In October 2013, she was chosen as the Woman
of the Year by GQ. Watson also has been cast opposite Ethan Hawke in thriller Regression.
Alejandro Amenábar wrote and will direct the film, which will be released in 2015.
Modelling In 2008, the British press reported that Watson
was to replace Keira Knightley as the face of the fashion house Chanel, but this was
denied by both parties. In June 2009, following several months of rumours, Watson confirmed
that she would be partnering with Burberry as the face of their Autumn/Winter 2009 campaign,
for which she received an estimated six-figure fee. She also appeared in Burberry's 2010
Spring/Summer campaign alongside her brother Alex, musicians George Craig and Matt Gilmour,
and model Max Hurd. In February 2011, Watson was awarded the Style Icon award from British
Elle by Dame Vivienne Westwood. Watson continued her involvement in fashion advertising when
she announced she had been chosen as the face of Lancôme in March 2011.
In September 2009, Watson announced her involvement with People Tree, a Fair Trade fashion brand.
Watson worked as a creative advisor for People Tree to create a spring line of clothing,
which was released in February 2010; the range featured styles inspired by southern France
and London. The collection, described by The Times as "very clever" despite their "quiet
hope that [she] would become tangled at the first hemp-woven hurdle", was widely publicised
in magazines such as Teen Vogue, Cosmopolitan, and People. Watson, who was not paid for the
collaboration, admitted that competition for the range was minimal, 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 surrounding fast fashion and want to make good choices but there aren't
many options out there." Watson continued her involvement with People Tree, resulting
in the release of a 2010 Autumn/Winter collection. Watson has appeared six years consecutively
in the 100 Sexiest Women list as chosen by readers of FHM, a men's magazine. She first
appeared in the list in 2007, placing 98th. Subsequent years saw her placed 33rd, 47th,
29th, 23rd and, in 2012, 64th. Education
After leaving school, Watson took a gap year to film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
beginning in February 2009, but said she "definitely want[ed] to go to university". The Providence
Journal reported that Watson had confirmed that she had chosen Brown University, located
in Providence, Rhode Island. In March 2011, after 18 months at the university, Watson
announced that she was deferring her course for "a semester or two." Watson was a visitor
student at Worcester College, Oxford for the 2011–12 academic year. Watson told Ellen
DeGeneres in March 2014 that she was "about to graduate" from Brown in May. She noted
that it took five years to graduate instead of four because, due to her acting work, she
"ended up taking two full semesters off". On 25 May 2014, Watson graduated from Brown
University with a bachelor's degree in English literature and released a cap-and-gown photo
on her Twitter account. In 2013, Watson became certified to teach
yoga and meditation. She told Elle 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." Personal life
Emma Watson broke up with American Will Adamowicz, whom she met at Oxford in 2011, in the summer
of 2013. She later began dating Oxford rugby player Matt Janney, whom she met at a varsity
match in December. Watson was appointed in July 2014 as a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador.
Filmography Awards and nominations
References
External links Official website
Emma Watson at the Internet Movie Database Guides: Harry Potter Actors at the BBC
Emma Watson at Rotten Tomatoes Emma Watson at AllMovie