This Little-Known Actress Very Nearly Played Hermione Granger Instead Of Emma Watson
After eight films, it seems impossible to imagine an actress other than Emma Watson as Hermione Granger. However, the actress who continues to have a brilliant career, going on to star in films like Beauty and the Beast and The Circle, almost never played everyone's favourite young witch.
Interviewed by the Huffington Post, Janet Hirshenson, the casting director for the first film, admitted that another candidate for the role almost won. This was Hatty Jones, who had already played the title role in the feature film Madeline, released in 1999.
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About her, Janet Hirshenson said: ‘There was another little girl that we tested who had just done I think ‘Madeline.’ She had done a big movie, and she was quite Hermione-ish, so I think Emma saw her and at the auditions and went, ‘Oh, well, I got no chance. There’s her.’’
More under this adMore under this adDespite Hatty Jones' chances, the Harry Potter film team liked Emma Watson: ‘The character needed to be towards the annoying side at times, but not too annoying, so the other one we said, after a while she’s going to be annoying. But with Emma, after a while you’re going to love her all the more. One of the producers said, ‘Can I have her under contract until she’s 21?’ All of us were just, ‘Oh my God. A star is born.’’ They were right…
Take a look at the video above to see the girl who almost became Hermione...