Emma Watson has opened up about the fear and confusion she experienced after rising to superstardom as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films. The actress, now 35, landed the role at age 10 and spent a decade in the spotlight.
Speaking at the Cannes Film Festival, Watson described the period after the franchise ended as 'soul-destroying'. She said: 'The bottom fell out of the piece, which was actually me and my life. So I needed to go and do some construction work. And, if I'm being honest, I was mostly just really afraid and quite scared.'
Watson stepped away from acting to study Creative Writing at Oxford University. She admitted she does not miss promoting films, calling it 'soul-destroying', but does miss using her skills and the art of acting.
Her last film role was in Greta Gerwig's 2019 adaptation of Little Women, which was critically acclaimed. In 2023, she told the Financial Times she felt 'caged' by the industry and struggled with having to sell projects she had little control over.
