Emma Watson reveals sad reason she stopped acting 'I really didn't have much control'

Ever since she was 10 years old, Emma Watson has been scouring film and television sets. Made ultra-famous thanks to her role of Hermione Granger in the saga written by J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter, the 33-year-old British actress has however sometimes struggled with her fame and popularity, and suffered from the constraints imposed by her roles in the cinema.

As it was revealed during the 20-year Harry Potter reunion, she even thought of stopping acting altogether around the third film, because she didn't want to be defined by her role of Hermione, and as only an actress. Emma Watson has also been a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador since July 2014, acting for women's equality.

Emma Watson is taking a break from acting

Her journey has led her to become the icon of her generation. But after more than 10 years of Harry Potter and many other projects, the actress needed to get away from it all. Indeed, since 2018, Emma Watson has not set foot on a film set.

Her last film Little Women, adapted from the novel of the same name written by Louisa May Alcott, had nevertheless been praised by critics. But after the feature film by Greta Gerwig, in which she played Margaret March, Emma Watson decided to take a break from acting and her film career.

In an interview with the Financial Times magazine, the beloved actress sadly reveals:

I wasn't very happy, if I'm being honest.

Read more:This Harry Potter movie has two titles in the same language and the reason why will surprise you

'I think I felt a bit caged'

Emma Watson explains why she was sometimes unhappy in this job and reveals that it was really hard for her to find her place, as well as to be able to express herself freely. She explained she felt like she was 'caged'.

I think I felt a bit caged. The thing I found really hard was that I had to go out and sell something that I really didn’t have very much control over. To stand in front of a film and have every journalist be able to say, ‘How does this align with your viewpoint?’ It was very difficult to have to be the face and the spokesperson for things where I didn’t get to be involved in the process.

The actress says she needed to feel responsible for what she was doing, instead of simply acting out a part given to her.

And I started to realise that I only wanted to stand in front of things where if someone was going to give me flak about it, I could say, in a way that didn’t make me hate myself, ‘Yes, I screwed up, it was my decision, I should have done better.’

Let's reassure her biggest fans, this break is only temporary. Because after 5 years of devoting her time to herself, Emma Watson will return to the front of the stage. She revealed that she has a shooting planned for the beginning of 2024, for a project that seems to still be a secret for the moment.

This article has been translated from Gentside FR.

Read more:Emma Watson Wrote a Letter to Herself While Filming Harry Potter

Sources used:

Financial Times: Emma Watson's house of spirits