It turns out that becoming an instant icon isn't always the greatest thing for a child's
psyche.
Emma Watson, who was cast as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter film series at the tender
age of nine, recently opened up to British Vogue about her years-long struggle with guilt
over having landed the plum role.
Watson was famously plucked from a crowd of would-be Hermiones during open auditions at
her school, and as soon as Potter fans were introduced to her in 2001's Harry Potter and
the Sorcerer's Stone - or Philosopher’s Stone in the UK, they knew that the role had
been perfectly cast.
Her droll delivery and adult mannerisms suited Hermione perfectly, and as the series' cast
grew into young adults over the course of eight films, it became clear that Watson's
formidable talent was growing as well.
"Boys, I think it's time we teach Weasely how to respect his superiors."
"Hope you don't mean yourself."
But immediate worldwide fame can obviously be tough for any kid to handle, and Watson
was no different.
In her conversation with Vogue, the actress said that she experienced a great deal of
guilt over feeling burdened by said fame when the role could have gone to any number of
other young actresses perhaps one who would have handled the exposure better.
The star said:
"I've sat in therapy and felt really guilty about, to be honest."
"Like, why me?
Somebody else would have enjoyed and wanted it more than I did."
The actress went on to say that, as a child, it was truly impossible to know exactly what
she was signing up for when producers picked her to play Hermione.
"I was nine years old, and I got literally picked out of a lineup in my school gym.
It wasn't even an acting school."
The star related how, as Pottermania swept the globe, she had to make a conscious effort
to reorient herself mentally in the face of massive worldwide fame.
Watson explained:
"And part of, I think, my sense of peace within myself has been in remembering my identity."
"I belong to a family, I come from a place, I have roots.
There's a whole really big existence and identity that I have"
Watson's is a struggle that has been faced by child actors for generations, but even
among their ranks, a few have experienced being part of a global phenomenon like Harry
Potter.
Adapted from the wildly popular young adult novels by J.K.
Rowling, the eight films in the main series combined to gross nearly $8 billion dollars
at the worldwide box office.
When the Fantastic Beasts spin-off films, in which Watson did not appear, are factored
in, Harry Potter is the third-highest grossing film franchise in history behind only the
juggernauts that are the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Star Wars.
On top of that, the main Potter cast literally grew up in front of the camera playing the
same characters, a situation even fewer child actors have had to contend with.
It was a prolonged and intense level of attention that would have been enough to make just about
any ordinary kid flame out.
But thankfully, Watson and her co-stars Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint managed to come
away from the experience as well-adjusted, successful adults.
Watson in particular has continued working steadily since the main Potter series ended,
appearing in such films as The Bling Ring and Noah before scoring another mega-hit with
Disney's 2017 live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast, which took home well over a
billion dollars globally.
This Christmas Day, she can be seen in the latest adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's classic
novel Little Women Despite stiff competition from the likes of Jumanji: The Next Level
and Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, the flick is expected to do respectable box
office thanks to its blinding star power and the sure guiding hand of writer/director Greta
Gerwig, the creative mind behind 2017's widely acclaimed coming-of-age dramedy Lady Bird.
Of course, Watson's present success largely came at the cost of anything resembling a
normal childhood, but the actress seems to have come to terms with her experience and
the struggles that came with it.
Even if she had never made another film after the Harry Potter series, she would have been
fondly remembered by fans around the world, but her boatload of talent ensures that she'll
be gracing the silver screen for years to come something she no longer feels quite so
bad about.
"It took me a long time, but I'm very happy."
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