Emma Watson, who shot to fame with her role as Hermione Granger, talked about drink, nudity and what it’s like never have to work again.
The “Harry Potter” star revealed: “Let’s be honest, I have enough money to never have to work again. It’s only just recently that I’ve really come round to the idea of carrying on with acting at all. I knew I was the perfect nine-year-old to play Hermione. But I was concerned that all would come out after that was Hermione. And if that had happened – well, I would know I couldn’t act. And then that would be it.”
On turning 18, she said: “It was pretty tough turning 18,’ she says. ‘I realized that overnight I’d become fair game. I had a party in town and the pavements were just knee-deep with photographers trying to get a shot of me looking drunk, which wasn’t going to happen. I don’t have to drink to have a good time. The sickest part was when one photographer lay down on the floor to get a shot up my skirt. The night it was legal for them to do it, they did it. I woke up the next day and felt completely violated by it all. That’s not something I want in my life. I just kept thinking that if it had happened a day earlier people would have sued their a***s off.”
On being sexy, she continued: “I find the whole concept of being ‘sexy’ embarrassing and confusing. If I do a photo-shoot people desperately want to change me – dye my hair blonder, pluck my eyebrows, give me a fringe. Then there’s the choice of clothes. I know everyone wants a picture of me in a mini-skirt. But that’s not me. I feel uncomfortable. I’d never go out in a mini-skirt. It’s nothing to do with protecting the Hermione image. I wouldn’t do that. Personally, I don’t actually think it’s even that sexy. What’s sexy about saying, “I’m here with my boobs out and a short skirt… have a look at everything I’ve got”? My idea of sexy is that less is more. The less you reveal the more people can wonder.”
On friends, she replied: “I’ve had the same group of friends since junior school and it has saved me. People I’ve dated have been friends of friends. I’d be unlikely to go out with anyone famous. I just wouldn’t.”
On other co-stars, she grinned, saying: “Daniel (Radcliffe), Rupert (Grint) and me have been incredibly protected doing the Harry Potter movies. There seems to be this feeling that all of us were bursting to break out of these images we had created but that’s never been the case. We all share the same view. None of us court celebrity, none of us want to be part of the game.”
On nudity, she revealed: “I have no plans to do anything for the sake of it, or to shock people. I might be willing to take my clothes off for a Bernardo Bertolucci film, if it was a part that really made sense as part of my character. But I wouldn’t do it just to make a point, to move on from Hermione. I’d hate to be so tactical. I’m not just getting my kit off for anyone.”
On her university plans, she added: “I actually think going to university will make me a better actress. The experience of living like that, working to deadlines, living with other students. It’s all the things I want. There are actresses who don’t know about things like doing their own laundry and getting a bus. I’m
not going to be like that. For me, this is just the beginning. I’ve only shown a little bit of what I can do. There is so much more to come.”