Globally renowned for her role as the over-achieving, highly resourceful Hermione Granger, Emma Watson is no stranger to life in the spotlight. The decision to transpose J.K. Rowling’s mystical world from books to the big screen presented Watson with a fantastic chance to make a career out of what she loved more than anything, acting. With thousands of aspiring witches auditioning for the role, it was not simply by magic that Rowling herself chose Watson to star as Hermione in what is now the highest grossing movie series of all time.
Born in Paris, France on April 15, 1990, Emma Watson is the only daughter of Jacqueline Luesby and Chris Watson. The Watson family resided in Paris until the spring of 1995 when Jacqueline left Chris, taking Emma and her younger brother, Alexander, to live with her in Oxfordshire, England. A year after moving to the UK, Watson began training at the Oxford branch of Stagecoach Theatre Arts where she practiced singing, dancing, and acting. Set on becoming an actress from the early age of six, Watson worked diligently, starring in numerous Stagecoach productions.
In 1999, the casting commenced for the film adaptation of the widely popular novel “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.” As soon as agents caught wind of Watson’s burgeoning talent, they wasted no time in having her audition for the role of Hermione Granger. Her first audition can best be regarded as merely a dramatic introduction, as it would take seven more auditions before she would finally land the part. Ironically, Watson is not much like Hermione at all, joking “Hermione uses all these big, long tongue-twister words, I don’t know what she’s going on about half the time!”
Since first being cast as one of the protagonists in “Harry Potter” alongside Daniel Radcliffe (Harry) and Rupert Grint (Ron), Watson has matured by leaps and bounds both on and off the screen. She has often expressed a desire for the challenge of new characters, as well as the importance of having the versatility to fill largely different roles. Accordingly, Watson took on the role of Sam, a compassionate high school student in “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” which debuted in 2012. The movie was relatively successful, accruing over $33 million worldwide, almost tripling its project budget of $13 million. When she is not filming, Watson, an avid fashion enthusiast, loves to visit fashion shows and stay current with the latest trends. She has vowed to continue receiving an education at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, and eagerly looks forward to continuing her evolution as an actress.
Joshua Shapiro is a second-year student majoring in English and education. He can be reached at JS762110@wcupa.edu.