Can celebrities really manifest their dream roles through style choices?
In 2014, Watson decided to become a fully trained yoga instructor! This is something many people don’t know about her. She explained her reasoning: “I need to find a way to always feel safe and at home within myself. Because I can never rely on a physical place."
Watson had already built a reputation as a fashion icon, and this took her to the next level. She appeared on the cover of Vogue and landed a commercial for Lancôme perfume.
Watson champions the single life and leans into aging, proclaiming the myriad of benefits of both. She promotes a form of self-acceptance that is far more authentic than most celebrities can muster.
In 2011, she shocked fans by cutting off all of her hair and going for a dramatic new pixie cut. This was the first step towards creating her new image and evolving her public persona.
Never satisfied to go with the status quo, Watson used her platform and her status in the fashion world to promote sustainable and ethical fashion. She became an advocate for a campaign called Good For You. It aims to inform consumers about sourcing clothing from brands that use ethical methods of production.
Having always shown herself to be a humanitarian with a particular interest in the empowerment of young women, Watson was named a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador in 2014.
As part of her work with the UN, she launched an initiative called HeForShe. It aims to include men in the conversation around gender equality.
She showed herself to have a natural talent for acting and won prizes for her poetry recitals. When she was nine years old, her theater coaches reached out to an agent to suggest they look at Watson for a role in an upcoming movie based on the 'Harry Potter' books.
At the time, she was an ambitious girl attending one of the UK’s most prestigious boarding schools. Both of her parents are lawyers and there was little doubt that Watson had the means and the talent to achieve greatness.
Watson was convinced that she wanted to be an actress at the age most kids want to be unicorns and dinosaurs. Her parents sent her for acting lessons with Stagecoach Theatre Arts from the age of six.
Watson was accepted as a candidate and made it through her first audition, and then the next, and the next… She was made to do eight auditions for the role, performing alongside multiple different candidates for the role of Hermione.
She would go on to have one of her first (incredibly awkward) kisses under spotlights and in front of cameras and crew. She could no longer leave her house or hop on the train without fear of being hounded by intrusive media and avid fans.
Emma Watson is a superstar actress, a fashion icon, an Ivy League graduate, an environmental activist, and an outspoken feminist. She’s the hero we all need in the 2020s!
Sources: (Vogue) (Biography) (Cheat Sheet) (ABC) (Vanity Fair)
See also: That's what she said: when female celebs speak out about feminism
Watson managed to keep up with her education during the decade she spent working on the ‘Harry Potter’ franchise. She and her co-stars would receive five hours of tutoring per day while on set, and Watson was able to achieve high scores in her exams.
When the final ‘Harry Potter’ movie was released in 2011, she began the difficult task of shedding her child star image and redefining herself as Emma Watson rather than Hermione Granger.
Watson understood that Hermione was a symbol to millions of girls around the world, including herself. She carried such meaning as an icon and an inspiration that people have struggled to separate Watson from her defining character.
She was called in by producer David Heyman who informed her that she’d gotten the role. The media descended almost immediately!
In 2017, Watson was named Harper Bazaar's Woman of the Year. She gave a moving speech in which she thanked all of the woman who picked her up and encouraged her when she didn't think she could go on.
‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone’ broke records by earning US$33.3 million at the US box office on its opening day. Watson’s face instantly became recognized in every country around the world.
There are few young actresses who have spent as much of their lives in the public eye as Emma Watson. She was cast as Hermione Granger when she was only nine years old, and was skyrocketed to fame as a star in a movie franchise that spanned 10 years. The most remarkable thing about her is that she has maintained such a stable image of kindness, humility, and honesty throughout her challenging career.
Let’s take a look at her life and work so far. Click through the gallery to get started.
Emma Watson's amazing journey from child actress to activist
The star turned 34 this April 15
CELEBRITY Profile
There are few young actresses who have spent as much of their lives in the public eye as Emma Watson. She was cast as Hermione Granger when she was only nine years old, and was skyrocketed to fame as a star in a movie franchise that spanned 10 years. The most remarkable thing about her is that she has maintained such a stable image of kindness, humility, and honesty throughout her challenging career.
Let’s take a look at her life and work so far. Click through the gallery to get started.