From the age of nine, British actress Emma Watson has lived and breathed Harry Potter — having starred in all eight of the films as Potter’s close friend, the bookish Muggle-born Hermione Granger.
While Watson gave a tearful speech at the final film’s premiere in London last week, as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two gets released, the actress is also eagerly awaiting her post-Potter life — even if she and Hermione have basically already become the same person.
What was your last scene as Hermione?
The last shot we did was this strange moment where we dive into the fireplace in the Ministry of Magic. It was actually for part one, not part two and so Dan, Rupert and I one by one jumped onto these blue safety mats. It seemed like a strange scene to go out on but actually (director David Yates) made the point that we were leaping into the unknown.
It was kind of a perfect metaphor for what we were all about to go into. I can’t tell you how I felt when we were shooting it.
Were there any last moments from shooting that stick out in your mind?
This film was obviously incredibly challenging for me.
It really pushed me as an actress but at the same time, I was able to use a lot of my own genuine emotion that I felt about loss and it all coming to an end. So yeah, not much acting required, really. It was all there for me.
What’s next for you?
It’s obviously scary —change is always scary, but I feel like I’m entering a new chapter, like I get a fresh start, and there’s something really exciting about that. I have just made a film called The Perks of Being a Wallflower which was just an incredible experience.
So are you going back to Brown?
I’m going to Oxford in the fall to study English for a year. I haven’t left Brown. I’m still enrolled at Brown but I’m doing my third year abroad, studying at home, abroad for me. I’ll go back to the States for my last year. I took a semester off but my A-level credits actually count as an advance placement.
