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Emma Watson on Auditions, Life, Filming, and More

Emma Watson (Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films) has a lengthy interview in the May edition of Interview magazine, in which she also graces the cover. In the interview, she has a lot to say, including how nervous she was that she wouldn't get the part of Hermione during auditions, some of the things she's done with her money, admitting that she was a massive fan of the Harry Potter books prior to auditioning, and much more! Read more to see some of what she had to say and the photos of her from feature.

BLASBERG: I find it intriguing that you started this journey when you were 9. How did you even know about the books?

WATSON: My dad used to read them to me before I went to bed and while on long car journeys.

BLASBERG: So then you just went to an open call?

WATSON: No, there was no open audition—they went all over England to find these characters, and not just drama schools. They came to my school and asked if they could put forward a group of 20 children between the ages of 9 and 12. They took my photograph in the school gym, and then I got a call three weeks later.

BLASBERG: What happened between that gym photo and the first day of shooting?

WATSON: It was a long time—eight auditions . . .

BLASBERG: Did you meet any of the other girls who were going out for the parts?

WATSON: Yes! I won’t say the name, but there was this girl who had already done a film before. I can remember just crumbling at the sight of her, thinking, “She’s been in a film before, and she knows how to do this. I have no chance.” Even worse, one time I came to the studios, and she was there playing cards with one of the other boys auditioning for Harry—not Daniel Radcliffe. And I was like, “Oh, my god, they’re making friends already! I’m definitely not going to get it.” I was so, so upset.

BLASBERG: I bet those two have pictures of you and Daniel Radcliffe on their dartboards now.

WATSON: Probably. But I wanted it so badly.

BLASBERG: Why? Because you wanted to be in movies and be famous, or because you identified with that role?

WATSON: I loved the books—I was a massive fan. I just felt like that part belonged to me. I know that sounds crazy, but from that first audition, I always knew. At the beginning, they were
casting the other characters as well—but I always knew I was going out for Hermione. She came so naturally to me. Maybe so much of myself at the time was similar to her. Of course, all this terrified my parents—there were literally thousands and thousands of girls going out for the audition, and my parents were anxious about what I would do if I didn’t get it.

BLASBERG: What was your first big splurge when the Potter money came in?

WATSON: Hmm . . . I got myself a laptop. I took my dad to Tuscany. He works so hard, my dad, so I rang up his secretary and asked when he was free, and I booked us a holiday. What else? Oh, I got myself a car.

BLASBERG: I saw the car. I think it’s very good that Hermione Granger drives a Prius.

WATSON: I got my license last year, and I love the Prius, even if my friends say it’s ugly. They say I drive a brick. And, to be fair, it’s not the prettiest car on the road, but it’s good for the environment. It’s sensible and boring—like me.

BLASBERG: It’s polite and efficient, like you.

WATSON: Yes, I am the Prius of my peer group.

BLASBERG: In these next two films, are most of your scenes with Dan and Rupert?

WATSON: Yes. In the last book, they’ve left Hogwarts, and they’re traveling around together. It feels right that it started with the three of us and it’s ending with the three of us. It’s about our friendship.

BLASBERG: How are you with those young men off set? Are you friends?

WATSON: To be honest, we see so much of each other when we’re working that hanging out together would be overload. I love them, but I need to see other friends off set. They’re like my siblings now.

BLASBERG: We’ve spoken about you possibly coming to America for university. What’s so appealing about going to an Ivy League school?

WATSON: I never thought that I would want to go to America for university. As a child, I aspired to go to Oxbridge, because that’s where my parents went. When my dad talks about his time there, he says it was the most incredible experience.

BLASBERG: So what made you entertain the idea of the States?

WATSON: Well, I did a Shakespeare course at RADA [Royal Academy of Dramatic Art] last summer, and three quarters of the students were from abroad, mainly the United States. I started talking to them about what they were doing at their schools, and I respected the approach. Here, I feel the specification is very narrow, whereas in America, you’re encouraged to be broad and choose many different subjects. For someone who has missed as much school as I have, I want to go back and discover what else there is. I always loved school—I was a proper, proper nerd. I just want that back again.

Read the rest of the interview here.

You can see the photos of her in our gallery beginning here.

Thanks to much to Ivana over at Ice Cream Man for letting us know!