Former Harry Potter star Emma Watson has spoken out about her decision to step away from acting after her role in 2019's Little Women, expressing a sense of relief and newfound autonomy in her life.
Having been in the limelight since her iconic portrayal of Hermione Granger at the age of 10 in 2001's Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Watson revealed her contentment with her hiatus from the film industry during an interview with British Vogue.
The actor highlighted the importance of allowing herself the freedom to navigate uncertainty, acknowledging the personal growth that stemmed from embracing ambiguity.
She said:
“I’m just so glad that I did [step away from acting] because I have this feeling of having my own voice and creative space and sovereignty in some way that I don’t think I did before – more autonomy."
“I’m so glad that I allowed things to be messy for a minute and to really allow myself to not know [what’s next], because the knowing that I’ve come to, I wouldn’t trade that for anything.”
"I get a frontrow seat [with] some of the most successful, beautiful, incredible people in the world. And when you have that seat it becomes very, very clear that there is just absolutely no level of success that will make you in any way happy or content if you do not like who you are or enjoy what you’re doing when no one’s watching.”
Many have applauded Watson's honesty.
After the conclusion of the Harry Potter series, Watson had a featured role in My Week with Marilyn and starring roles in the films The Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Bling Ring, This is the End, Noah, and The Circle.
Watson also appeared in more independent fare like Regression and Colonia and played the title role in Disney's live-action Beauty and the Beast before a two-year absence from the screen broken by her appearance in Little Women and her participation in the Harry Potter reunion special that was released during the COVID-19 pandemic.
She has spoken about her decision to take a break from acting before, in May telling The Financial Times that she "felt a bit caged" by all of the demands of being constantly in the public eye.
At the time, Watson said she found it "really hard" that she "had to go out and sell something that I really didn’t have very much control over," noting her discomfort with press attention and backlash.
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