Emma Watson Interview - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Emma Watson Interview - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Witches are doing it for themselves in the latest Harry Potter movie, with swotty Hermione Granger more than holding her own against the boys at Hogwarts. For 14-year-old Emma Watson, it's been a refreshing change to work with a new director (Alfonso Cuaron) on a much darker story. Not only that, but she also gets to wallop Draco Malfoy...

VN: What makes this film different from the first two?

Emma Watson: "Well, it is a little bit darker and scarier. The first one introduced the characters, in the second you got to know the characters, and now their characters are really defined. This is my favourite book, I love it. Hermione, Ron and Harry have a falling out, which hasn't happened before. Also there are lots of new characters coming into it: Professor Lupin, Sirius Black and the Dementors."

VN: Do you like Hermione? Some people find her a little annoying...

Emma Watson: "Yes, she can get on people's nerves. I understand that. Everyone is going to have a flaw, but I think she's a great character: she's determined and knows what she wants and she won't rest until she gets it. Especially in this one: she storms out on a teacher and she punches Malfoy, so she's a bit rock 'n' roll in this one. It's a brilliant part for Hermione."

VN: How different are you from the character?

Emma Watson: "Quite different, in that I am quite a girly-girl. I like my shopping and my friends in a way that Hermione doesn't. I'm not that schoolworky, I don't spend that much time on homework."

VN: Hermione has quite a different look in this film. Do you approve?

W: "It's brilliant. In the first two films I was wearing tartan skirts, woolly jumpers and tight school shoes, and now I've got jeans. She definitely couldn't do all the swinging around she does in that skirt!"

VN: How have you found the experience of growing up on set?

EW: "The first one was very scary, I didn't understand it - this massive whirlwind. Now I am much more familiar with everything, I definitely feel much more confident."

VN: What is the toughest part of making the Harry Potter films?

EW: "The long hours, long days and being away from friends and family."

VN: Is the plan for you to make all seven movies?

EW: "Oh my god, I don't know - one film at a time! Watch this space...

Biography

Emma Charlotte Duerre Watson was born in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England on April 15, 1990. At school, she took the lead role in several plays, including 'Arthur: The Young Years' and 'The Happy Prince'. Along with plays, Emma participated in many other school productions, including the Daisy Pratt Poetry Competition, in which she won first place for her year at age seven. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, is Emma's debut into the world of professional acting. Competing against many other girls for the role of Hermione Granger, she didn't expect to get the part.

Away from the cinematic world, Emma enjoys playing hockey most of all, and she also likes debating. Although her hair is brown in the movie, she's naturally a blonde. She once dressed up as a witch for Halloween, but she had no idea that years later, she would be playing one in the Harry Potter movie. Her parents, Jacqueline and Chris, who are lawyers, are divorced. Emma lives with her mother and younger brother Alex. Her role models are Julia Roberts, Goldie Hawn, John Cleese and Sandra Bullock.