Coming up on five years, Emma Watson opens up about her acting hiatus and addresses if she will ever return. Best known for her career-defining portrayal of the levelheaded Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter film series, Watson subsequently starred in The Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Bling Ring, Noah, and 2017's Beauty and the Beast. However, she hasn't acted since she wrapped filming Greta Gerwig's Little Women adaptation in 2018 and isn't currently attached to any film or TV projects, meaning her hiatus could hit the five-year mark at the end of 2023.
During a recent interview with the Financial Times, Watson opened up about why she decided to step away from acting, saying she “wasn’t very happy” and "felt a bit caged" by her profession. Asked directly if she will ever return to acting, Watson answered definitively, "Yes, absolutely." Read her full comments below:
I wasn’t very happy, if I’m being honest. I think I felt a bit caged. The thing I found really hard was that I had to go out and sell something that I really didn’t have very much control over. To stand in front of a film and have every journalist be able to say, "How does this align with your viewpoint?" It was very difficult to have to be the face and the spokesperson for things where I didn’t get to be involved in the process. I was held accountable in a way that I began to find really frustrating, because I didn’t have a voice, I didn’t have a say. And I started to realize that I only wanted to stand in front of things where if someone was going to give me flak about it, I could say, in a way that didn’t make me hate myself, "Yes, I screwed up, it was my decision, I should have done better."
Yes, absolutely. But I’m happy to sit and wait for the next right thing. I love what I do. It’s finding a way to do it where I don’t have to fracture myself into different faces and people. And I just don’t want to switch into robot mode any more. Does that make sense?
Emma Watson's Break From Acting Explained
Rumors about Watson retiring from acting in order to focus on her personal life and partner first surfaced more than two years ago, and people were understandably shocked and upset. However, the rumors originated in a U.K. tabloid that claimed her career had gone "dormant." Watson's manager quickly debunked the retirement rumors saying that while her "social media accounts are dormant, her career isn’t.” However, there was the added caveat that Watson would be stepping away from acting and wouldn't be taking on any new projects for the foreseeable future.
Related: Every Major Movie Role Emma Watson Turned Down
Fast-forward a few years, and this is the first time Watson has opened up about her break from acting in her own words. Based on her comments, it sounds like Watson felt pigeonholed going on press tours promoting projects she had virtually no creative control over and decided she needed to make a profound change in her life. Emma Watson seems certain she will return to acting someday, and when she does eventually return, it sounds like she will be more selective by only starring in projects she feels passionate about.
Source: Financial Times
