Through the Years: Emma Watson

Emma Watson

Dave Hogan

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When we bid farewell this summer to the Harry Potter series, we feared that it might be the last we saw of some of the beloved cast. Fortunately, young Hermione — or the not-so-young anymore Emma Watson — has no plans to slow down post-Potter. In fact, you can see her back in theaters today alongside big-timer Michelle Williams in My Week With Marilyn. The actress and model has come a long way since she was first cast in Harry Potter ten years ago — let’s take a look back at the amazing journey that has led her to a net worth of $39M and fame beyond her wildest dreams.

Though most little kids don’t know what they want to eat for dinner, let alone what they want to be when they grow up, Emma knew she wanted to be an actress by age 6. She studied the craft part-time at the Oxford branch of Stagecoach Theatre Arts.

She was cast as Hermione at age 9, having only acted in school plays, and has said that she had no idea what she was getting herself into. The film’s producers were impressed by her confidence.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone broke box office records and was the highest grossing film of 2001. Emma was singled out from the cast by critics as having stolen the show. Overnight, she became an international celebrity, though she hadn’t quite developed her fashion sensibility yet…

George De Sota

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Watson then worked more-or-less nonstop on the next seven Harry Potter films, which released every one to two years. She continued to be singled out from the rest of the cast, and was often particularly compared to Daniel Radcliffe, who many considered “stiff” in his portrayal of the title character. Because of Emma’s popularity, Hermione’s role expanded from film-to-film.

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Emma broke from filming only twice — once to do a TV movie called Ballet Shoes, which aired in the U.K., and once to voice Princess Pea in The Tale of Despereaux.

Kevin Winter

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In 2009, Emma Watson made her modeling debut as the face of Burberry, adding not only to her fame, but to her pocketbook as well. She stunned in the ad’s photographs, and they thus became her first step towards shedding her Hermione-seeped image.

The Harry Potter series wrapped this past May with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2. Which brings us to the Emma Watson of today. Her more adult pixie cut — which only one with such a beautiful face could pull off — is a great indication of where she wants to be in her career. We expect to see more serious roles out of Emma, such as that of Lucy in My Week with Marilyn and Sam in controversial book-adaptation The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

It remains to be seen just how well the public will receive her in these non-wizardry roles, but one thing is for certain — this is one child star who’s not about to flameout.

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What types of roles would you like to see Emma take on? Leave your answers in the comments below!