Emma Watson is speaking out about her almost five-year hiatus from the entertainment industry.
The former “Harry Potter” actress explained why she hasn’t appeared on our screens for years, and whether she’s saying goodbye to acting for good in a recent interview with the Financial Times.
The 33-year-old’s last performance was in Little Women back in 2019, and she hasn’t taken on anything else since.
“I wasn’t very happy, if I’m being honest,” she admitted. “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,” Watson continued. “I was held accountable in a way that I began to find really frustrating, because I didn’t have a voice, I didn’t have a say. 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.’”
Discussing whether she has hopes of returning to acting in the future, she said: “Yes, absolutely. But I’m happy to sit and wait for the next right thing. I love what I do. It’s finding a way to do it where I don’t have to fracture myself into different faces and people. And I just don’t want to switch into robot mode any more. Does that make sense?”
The celebrity also talked about working behind the scenes while promoting Renais, the new gin brand that her brother Alex recently launched. Last year, Watson co-wrote and directed a Prada advertisement.
“People always told me I should direct and produce, even when I was on Potter,” she recalled. “I was worried it was just technical, not creative, and I couldn’t bring what I think is probably my skill set. It was only Alex coming to me with this, and friends asking for favors — ‘I need to do a photo shoot’ or ‘I’m making a video’ — that made me realize I actually know quite a lot about that. Being a director seemed unattainable. I don’t think I had any confidence in that. I know it seems weird. I mean, I grew up on a film set.”
Watson also has other fun things ahead, disclosing that she will be directing a music video for an allegedly well-known musician. She said, “You will definitely have heard of him,” without giving his name.
After hearing what she had to say, many fans spoke out about the news, with one writing: “Well, she did start as a kid. It’s not like she was in charge of every aspect of her life or her roles until she got older. Let’s call it what it is: child actors are child workers. And as a worker myself, I’d be tired of a gig I started since I was ten. Even with a great job. I thought everyone wanted to retire younger.”
While another commented: “There are millions of Emma Watson’s waiting in line or on call. Show up and don’t complain on the movie set.”
What do you think?
