Emma Watson, best known as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films, opened up to Hollywood Authentic on Sunday, September 21, about why she stepped away from Hollywood.
“In some ways I really won the lottery [with acting],” the 35-year-old said. “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.”
She added, “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.”
Reflecting further on acting, the Beauty and the Beast star admitted, “It’s so freeing, I miss that profoundly. But I don’t miss the pressure. I forgot it was a lot of pressure. I did a small thing for a play, just with my friends. I was like, ‘Bloody hell, this is stressful!’ And that wasn’t even for a real public audience or anything. I don’t miss that.”
Fans resonated with her honesty, with one Reddit user comparing it to authors who love writing but dread book tours: “Art and promoting art are two very different skills — Emma you have my sympathies.”
Watson starred in all eight Harry Potter films between 2001 and 2011, before taking on roles in projects like The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Beauty and the Beast.
Her last on-screen appearance was in 2019’s Little Women. Since then, she’s stepped back from Hollywood, saying it was “the right thing” to help her reconnect with loved ones and focus on her personal life.
