While a walk down memory lane can bring back some sweet and nostalgic memories, it can also resurface some negative ones. And as Emma Watson looked back at her childhood fame, she remembered how the pressure of it all almost drove her to walk away from the biggest role of her life.
For most of us who grew up in the 2000s, Emma was synonymous with her role as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter franchise. Year after year, we saw Emma grow up on the big screen as she went from first-year know-it-all to one of the greatest witches of her time in the magical wizarding world. And while the films were a huge part of our childhood, the weight of the fame felt - at times - far too much for Watson, who was just 11 years old when she joined the infamous cast. Little did she know how big of a star she'd turn into...
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It was David Yates, the director of the fifth film, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, who broke the silence on Emma's immense struggles as the franchise grew larger and larger. According to Yates in his interview with People, Watson came close to leaving the Harry Potter cast as the pressure of fame was too much for her to handle as a teenager. And there was no denial on Watson's part. Now, as a 31-year-old actress, she looks back at her diary from around that time and can recall just how lost she felt. "I think I was scared," the Little Women star shared with her former co-star, Rupert Grint.
"I don't know if you ever felt like it got to a tipping point where you were like, 'This is kind of forever now,'" Emma admitted during the special. "The fame thing had finally hit home in a big way." And looking back, both Rupert and Daniel couldn't have agreed more. It was a heavy price to pay as child actors, but now they can reflect and see the good in it as well.
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