She’s modeled for Burberry and Lancôme and was honored by the British Academy of Film and Television as 2014’s British Artist of the Year. That same year, she was appointed as a UN Women Global Ambassador and launched the UN Women Campaign HeForShe which calls for men to advocate for gender equality.
Here are a few things you might know about everyone’s favorite little mudblood: Emma Watson.
26. You Go Girl!
Emma faced harsh criticism when she modeled for a topless photoshoot. She responded by saying that her boobs had nothing to do with her stances on social issues.
Fans criticized Watson for apparently exploiting herself on the one hand, while championing feminist ideals on the other.
Watson responded perfectly when she said, “They were claiming that I couldn’t have boobs and be a feminist. Feminism is about giving women choice."
25. Ooh La La
Despite being British, Watson was actually born in Paris and says she can still speak a little French.
24. Tarantallegra
Emma was on her school’s dance and field hockey team. Two different teams. Not a dancing field hockey team.
23. Where it All Began
Before being cast as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter series, Watson had never acted professionally. Or done professional acting.
22. Eighth Time’s a Charm
Despite having to be convinced by her teachers to audition for the role of Hermione Granger the first time, she had to audition another seven times before she was finally cast in the role.
21. Driven
On the other hand, she managed to pass her driving test on the first attempt because if it takes you eight tries to pass a driving test, you probably shouldn’t be allowed to drive.
20. Exceeds Expectations!
J.K. Rowling fell in love with Watson over the phone so, after meeting her in person, she still wanted Watson to play Hermione despite the fact that Watson was more attractive than she had originally imagined the character being. This sort of thing never happens on Tinder.
19. Extraordinary Wizarding Level!
While on the Harry Potter set, Watson and the other child actors received up to five hours of tutoring a day and she received straight As because she is a big smart nerd. She should join the Factination!
18. Harry Potter and the Important Causes
Due to other things she wanted to do in her life, Watson almost didn’t sign on for the final three Harry Potter films. Honestly, what could be more important than Harry Potter? Gender equality? Disaster relief? Poverty? Human rights? Oh. Yeah. Probably.
17. Beauty and the Beast
Rupert Grint and Daniel Radcliffe admitted to having a crush on Emma in the past. But Watson liked Tom Felton instead. AKA Draco Malfoy. Her reasons? He had a skateboard, was a few years older, and was a bit of a bad boy. Stop. You had us at skateboard.
16. Short Cut
After finishing the last Harry Potter film, Watson decided to get a pixie cut. If you are not famous we advise against this strategy.
15. A Girl Knows Her Limits…
Watson’s first film post-Harry Potter was in 2011’s My Week with Marilyn, in which she plays Lucy, a wardrobe assistant who goes on a few dates with the main character, Colin Clark, who eventually leaves her for Marilyn Monroe. Because if Emma Watson is going to lose a man to someone, it’s gonna be Marilyn Monroe.
14. The Face that Launched a Thousand Tweets
That same year, Watson was chosen as the face of Lancôme. Later on, her work with Lancôme was the subject of backlash when it was discovered that she fronted ads for a skin-lightening cream. It is hard for celebrities to control exactly how their image is used after they sign a major endorsement deal, but Waston has gone on record saying that she 'no longer participates in advertising beauty products, which do not always reflect the diverse beauty of all women.’
13. There’s Always Someone Younger
At the age of 15, she was the youngest person ever to grace the cover of Teen Vogue, beating out all those sassy 16 year olds.
12. Dear Diary…
Each night before bed, Watson writes nearly everything down in journals and estimates that she’s collected about thirty of them. “Dear Diary, today I saw Tom and he was sooooo dreamy…”
11. Bookworm
She claims that her favorite way to relax is to sit down with a book and read for fun.
10. Hogwarts USA
Watson decided study English literature at an American university instead of a British one because she claimed American universities allowed students more freedom to study whatever they wanted and design their own majors.
9. The Good ‘ol College Try
When she attended Brown University, Watson said that the other students were very respectful, even “protective” of her university experience. Nobody stopped to ask her for an autograph and when she threw a party with a hundred people in attendance, not one person posted a photo to Facebook. Because that’s what Snapchat is for.
8. Fashion Senseless
As a fashion consultant, she helped create a fair trade, organic, sustainable line of clothing for People Tree. Unfortunately, the line didn’t sell very well at all. It didn’t help that Watson was once quoted as saying, “I’m really interested in fair-trade fashion and organic cotton, but it’s hard because, to be honest, the stuff’s kind of ugly or really plain.” There’s never a Time Turner when you need one.
7. Poser
Watson is a certified yoga and meditation instructor which she says helps her find a balance between being a world famous celebrity and a regular muggle. Because yoga is magic.
6. The Sound of Silence
In an effort to learn how to “feel at home with” herself, Watson flitted off to the Canadian Rockies to do a silent meditation retreat.
5. Ambassador Watson
After being appointed a United Nations Women Goodwill Ambassador, Watson gave a speech at the UN to rapturous applause, urging men to be more sensitive by saying, “If men don’t have to be aggressive in order to be accepted, women won’t feel compelled to be submissive.”
4. Everyone’s a Critic
Within hours of making the UN speech, Watson said she received threats which left her “raging.”
3. Time Turner
The day after she turned 25, Watson placed number 26 on the list of Time’s 100 Most Influential People with New York Time’s editor noting Watson’s “gutsy, smart take on feminism,” and her effort to get men involved is “refreshing.”
2. Malala Land
Malala Yousafzai told Watson that, after hearing her speech, she decided to call herself a feminist. It’s nice that Watson is so inspiring, but you would think that if there’s anyone who knows about the struggle for womens’ rights, it’s Malala freakin’ Yousafzai.
1. Awkward Closeness
While filming Harry Potter 7, Watson and Radcliffe had a topless make-out scene, and Emma revealed that she had to lube up using silver paint, which she described as incredibly "awkward."
In her own words: "It was only the day before that they said, 'Oh, by the way, we hope it's all right, but we want you to be topless, and we're going to cover you in silver paint,'" Watson laughed. "It was awkward enough as it was without the silver paint and the strapless bra, but whatever. It works. It looks good for the story."
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