Emma Watson has shared the thing she doesn’t miss about the film industry after taking a seven-year break from acting.
The 35-year-old shot to fame aged just 10 when she appeared in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone opposite Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint.
Watson played the fan-favourite character of Hermione Granger in all eight films of the fantasy franchise from 2001 until the final Deathly Hallows installment in 2011.
However, the actress hasn’t appeared in a film since 2018 when she starred in Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of Little Women.
Discussing her hiatus from showbusiness, Watson admitted she “profoundly misses” acting, but finds the process of promoting films “soul-destroying”.
“I think I'll be honest and straightforward, and say: I do not miss selling things,” she told filmmaker Hassan Akkad in an interview for Hollywood Authentic.
Watson went on: “I found that to be quite soul-destroying. But I do very much miss using my skill set, and I very much miss the art. I just found I got to do so little of the bit that I actually enjoyed.”
The star - who was recently given a driving ban - praised the process of filming scenes on set, likening the act to an “intense form of meditation”.
“It’s so freeing. I miss that profoundly. But I don’t miss the pressure. I forgot it was a lot of pressure,” she admitted, before adding that she feels “healthier and happier” away from the camera.
After the last Harry Potter film, Watson landed roles in films like The Bling Ring, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and the live-action Disney remake Beauty and the Beast.
She began a Master’s Degree in creative writing at Oxford University in September 2023 and last summer was rumoured to be dating a fellow student.
It was reported in February 2025 that she had progressed in her studies to a DPhil, which is Oxford's PhD equivalent.
Watson previously admitted she found it “very difficult” going on the promotional trail after appearing in a film.
“I wasn’t very happy if I’m being honest. I think I felt a bit caged,” she told the Financial Times. in 2023.
“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?’”
She added: “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.”
