Watson's 'Hermione' Grows Up
The highly anticipated "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" is finally here. It's the crew's third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and Harry's friend, Hermione, seems as eager as ever.
Hermione is played Emma Watson, who visited The Early Show to talk about the film, which this time is directed by Alfonso Cuarón, best known for "A Little Princess" and "Y Tu Mamá También."
She tells co-anchor Harry Smith that, as the characters grow, there is more of a real-life feel to the film.
"I think it's much more personal, this one. You see different sides to all three of the characters," Watson says, "And we're such good friends away from set that when we're on set, I think we have good screen chemistry in this one."
To help the young actors deepen their understanding of their characters, Cuarón asked them each to write an essay detailing how they viewed their character's growth from their early days at Hogwarts to the beginning of the third story.
"My essay about Hermione made me think of things I'd never thought about before," Watson confides. "Alfonso asked us to write about why our characters behave the way they do, what's behind their thoughts, and how things affect them. He calls it 'taking off their masks.' I realized that Hermione's obsession with books and schoolwork is her security blanket. It really helped me to understand her."
Asked if she is a know-it-all type of kid at school, Watson says, "No, not at all. I hope so, anyway." She adds that she sits neither up front, nor at the back of her classroom, just in the middle.
One of the things that her character shows is that she has become much more self-assured. "Much more comfortable in her own skin," Watson notes. "People have been mean to her, been teasing her, rude to her and she pretended she didn't hear or said, forget it. It doesn't matter. In this one, it is kind of a turning point for her, because she says, 'That's it, I'm not taking it any more.' She punches. Rock 'n' roll. Girl power."
And since she is a teenager, Watson says it is easier to relate to her part portraying the feelings of fear and anxiety that most teens experience.
Much to Watson's delight, Hermione also enjoys a bit of a fashion evolution. "Hermione is out of tweed skirts and knitted grandma-type jumpers and - dare I say it - wearing jeans!" Watson reports. "She's not trendy, but more stylish than she used to be. Hermione still wears her uniform with the top button done up, but she's trying!"
With the Harry Potter films under her belt, Watson considers herself pretty lucky. She says, "I have to say, from the very beginning, from the moment I heard about this audition, I wanted the part so badly. I would sit there every night and go, 'Please, please, please let me get this part, because I wanted it more than anything else in the whole entire world.' I know how lucky I was. I mean, they came to my school. It's like they found me. It was crazy. I know how lucky I am."
She says she wants to pursue an acting career. "Definitely. I've always loved performing. I love acting. I love the adrenaline that you get from it."
As for the down side of being 14 and being in one of the most seen in such a popular films, Watson says, "There are so many fantastic up sides and everything. But one of the things is that it (film) does take up a lot of time."
About Emma Watson:
Born Emma Charlotte Duerre Watson in Oxfordshire, England on April 15, 1990
She continues to balance her love of filming with her studies and school activities and is a keen fan of hockey, netball, and tennis. She is also an art scholar and boasts the most colorful and creative dressing room at the studio.
Her favorite actor is Brad Pitt and her hobbies include: socializing with her friends; listening to Alanis Morrisette and Justin Timberlake; and dancing ballet, tap and modern dance.