A conversation with Emma Watson

‘This just took up my life, all of my time-my life revolved around Harry Potter’

How are you feeling now that the films are coming to a close?

I still don’t really know how I feel about it. I’m still processing it. I have days where I feel relieved, and I have days where I feel very sad. And I have days where I’m like, “I’m so excited.” Because this just took up my life, all of my time—my life revolved around Harry Potter. That was the focal point of my existence. And it’s exciting now that I can accept other things. I mean, I know the grass is always greener, but there were moments when I was making this when I was like, “God, I wish I could go and do that.” So, it’s exciting too. I swing kind of like a pendulum back and forth between all these different emotions.

Is there any particular scene in any of the films that you would like to go back and reshoot, even as a different character?

Ooh, that’s interesting. I actually had a really good time playing the evil Hermione in Ron’s vision, so I’d quite like to go back and play a bad guy for once. I think that would be fun.

You seem to take the media stuff in stride.

It’s experience. I’m 20 years old now and I was nine when I went into my first press conference, so you just get used to it. It takes too much emotional energy to get upset every time something’s written that you don’t want to see. You just have to let it go. I would be a crazy person.

Did you realize that early on?

It took me a while to figure that one out, actually. I mean, I would be lying if I said I didn’t still get upset. I do still get upset. But I don’t care quite so much, which is good. I mean, I still get misquoted all the time. And there’s so much information out there about me, you think it would be very easy to check facts, but …

So would you still think of an acting career, or is it still up in the air for you?

No, definitely, this film’s given me a lot of confidence. I just did a movie called “My Week with Marilyn,” which is a Weinstein production with Eddie Redmayne and Michelle Williams, and that went really well. And I think I will keep acting. I think I’d like to make maybe one movie a year or something.

This movie really gives all of you a chance to really act. What does David Yates bring to that?

The thing about working with David Yates is that you always hear this word, “truth” and finding the truth and being honest and real. He really hates anything false; he wants it to be from the heart. And so I think that made me a better actress.