Hollywood Child Stars

Spotlight on Emma Watson

A Quiet Beginning
Emma Watson was born on April 15, 1990, in Paris, to two British attorneys. An aspiring actress at the early age of six, Emma became a student at the Oxford branch of Stagecoach Theatre Arts. She performed in many school plays and private Stagecoach productions, but for the first ten years of her life as an actress, she remained relatively unnoticed by the world outside of her family and schoolmates.

Emma’s Breakout Film Series

However, things changed. As casting began for the first installment of the Harry Potter series, a film version of J.K. Rowling’s hit teen book series, Emma Watson was quietly celebrating her ninth birthday. The world may not have known it yet, but they were about to meet Miss Watson, a soon-to-be-celebrity. When Emma was cast in the role of Hermione Granger in the first film, not even she was aware of the implications of the job, or the level of wealth and fame she was about to encounter.

From 2001 to 2010, Emma took on a new identity; as far as Harry Potter fans were concerned, she was, and would forever remain, Hermione Granger. Over the course of nine years and eight films, Emma Watson became a household name and won award after award for her performances. When all was said and done, she had lined her bank account with more than ten million dollars and was, self-admittedly, set for life. In February, 2010, just shy of her 20th birthday, Emma was named the highest paid female actress in Hollywood.

Fashion Fanatic?
Although Emma has played in a couple of note-worthy films since Harry Potter, including a voice part for the widely acclaimed children’s film, The Tale of Despereaux (also based on a book), she has invested a large portion of her energies to the world of fashion as well—what she describes as merely another extension of her artistic expression. In 2009, she modeled the Autumn/Winter Burberry collection and became a creative advisor for People Tree, the self-proclaimed “fair trade fashion pioneer.”

Brains and Beauty
Unlike many child stars who have “made it” on the big screen, Emma Watson has held on to her dreams of becoming a college-graduate. A straight “A” student throughout her primary and secondary education (including private classes taken while filming the Harry Potter series), Emma reports a love for school and says that it keeps her grounded. In 2009, she announced her decision to study liberal arts at the American Ivy League school, Brown University, but has since taken a leave from school to focus on professional projects, including the advertising campaign for the release of the last installment of the Potter films.

The Latest
Soon to be 21, Emma Watson may no longer be a child-star, but she is still very much a star. Recently, she announced that she will be co-starring in the film ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’. She has also been named the new face of Lancome and continues to work in the fashion industry with People Tree among others. As if she weren’t busy enough, Emma remains devoted to her studies and is insistent that, despite it taking a bit longer than anticipated, she will indeed complete her program at Brown University.