It turns out that becoming an instant icon isn't always the greatest thing for a child's psyche. Emma Watson, who was cast as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter film series at the tender age of nine, recently opened up to British Vogue about her years-long struggle with guilt over having landed the plum role.
Watson was famously plucked from a crowd of would-be Hermiones during open auditions at her school, and as soon as Potter fans were introduced to her in 2001's Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - or Philosopher’s Stone in the UK, they knew that the role had been perfectly cast. Her droll delivery and adult mannerisms suited Hermione perfectly, and as the series' cast grew into young adults over the course of eight films, it became clear that Watson's formidable talent was growing as well.
But immediate worldwide fame can obviously be tough for any kid to handle, and Watson was no different. In her conversation with Vogue, the actress said that she experienced a great deal of guilt over feeling burdened by said fame when the role could have gone to any number of other young actresses perhaps one who would have handled the exposure better. The star said:
"I've sat in therapy and felt really guilty about, to be honest."
"Like, why me? Somebody else would have enjoyed and wanted it more than I did."
The actress went on to say that, as a child, it was truly impossible to know exactly what she was signing up for when producers picked her to play Hermione.
The star related how, as Pottermania swept the globe, she had to make a conscious effort to reorient herself mentally in the face of massive worldwide fame. Watson explained:
"And part of, I think, my sense of peace within myself has been in remembering my identity."
"I belong to a family, I come from a place, I have roots. There's a whole really big existence and identity that I have"
Watson's is a struggle that has been faced by child actors for generations, but even among their ranks, a few have experienced being part of a global phenomenon like Harry Potter. Adapted from the wildly popular young adult novels by J.K. Rowling, the eight films in the main series combined to gross nearly $8 billion dollars at the worldwide box office. When the Fantastic Beasts spin-off films, in which Watson did not appear, are factored in, Harry Potter is the third-highest grossing film franchise in history behind only the juggernauts that are the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Star Wars. Keep watching the video to see more of how Emma Watson reveals a dark secret about playing Hermione.
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