"I was really eager to learn in an uncool way"- When Emma Watson made her feelings clear about her similarities with Hermione Granger

The Harry Potter film franchise has immortalized the famous novel series in Hollywood. It has created some huge stars in the process, including Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe, and Rupert Grint, who remain big names in the industry. Harry Potter is getting a series adaptation from HBO, and today, the new cast members for the famous trio were announced.

With the news barely out, there are already comparisons between the new actors and the original trio that was cast in the film series. Of course, Watson, Radcliffe, and Grint did so well that it will now be a hard task living up to their performances. One of the things that probably accentuated their performance from an early age was their relatability to the characters.

Back in 2016, Emma Watson discussed this in an interview for Paper, where she revealed how she identified with Hermione and even grew up like her while she was doing the role. She said,

"I started reading Harry Potter when I was 8 – I just really identified with her...I was the girl in school whose hand shot up to answer the questions. I was really eager to learn in an uncool way. In a super uncool way, actually...It was really interesting because at first, despite the obvious similarities, I guess I was also trying to detach my sense of self from the image."

She added,

"It was such a delicate time – I was 10 or 11 when the first movie came out – I was trying to figure out what my own identity was, but I didn't really have one yet."

Emma Watson further elaborated how she initially tried to break away from the identity of Hermione but eventually accepted that they were a lot alike, which perhaps ultimately led to her brilliant portrayals in the films that followed.

---

"I stopped fighting that!"- Emma Watson on accepting the similarities between her and Hermione

For young actors, identifying with the character is perhaps the most important thing, as the ability to execute any role comes with time and experience. While Emma Watson did initially identify with Hermione, she also tried to be like other teenage girls at the time.

She explained this duality in the same interview, and eventually traced the path through which she ultimately accepted the comparisons with Hermione and accepted that they were indeed a lot alike.

Emma Watson elaborated,

"I watch interviews that I did when the first movie came out and I was so lost! I would think, 'What do young girls talk about? What do they say?' 'I like going shopping and I have a crush on Brad Pitt.' And I had no idea who Brad Pitt really was! I hadn't seen a single movie that Brad Pitt had been in, but this just seemed like the right thing to say. It makes me sad because I see this girl trying so much to fit in. The truth was I loved school. [Laughs]"

She continued,

"At first I was really trying to say, 'I'm not like Hermione. I'm into fashion and I'm much cooler than she is,' and then I came to a place of acceptance. Actually, we do have a lot in common. There are obviously differences, but there are a lot of ways that I'm very similar. And I stopped fighting that!"

She concluded, saying,

"The character of Hermione gave me permission to be who I was."

The perfect relationship between Emma Watson and her character in Harry Potter made things smoother. Hopefully, this will happen for the new cast members of the television series as well.

---

All the Harry Potter movies are available for streaming on Max.