9-Year-Old Emma Watson Was Bullied for Putting on a Dance Show for the ‘Harry Potter’ Cast
It would be fair to say that Emma Watson grew up on the set of Harry Potter. Though fans’ first introduction to Hermione Granger was when the character was 11, Watson was actually younger than the bright witch when she was cast in the role. At age 9, she beat out thousands of competitors for the coveted part. Thus, when she started filming the first movie, she was one of the youngest members of the cast.
What is the age gap between Emma Watson and Tom Felton?
One person who had a few years on Watson was Tom Felton. The actor who brought Draco Malfoy to life is actually three years Watson’s senior. But the age gap didn’t stop the Little Women actor from developing a huge crush on her Harry Potter co-star. However, at the time, Felton considered Watson to be a little kid. This was especially true when he learned that she was preparing a dance performance for the cast and crew.
Recently, Felton released his memoir, Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard. In it, he detailed a story from his early days on the Harry Potter set involving himself, Watson, and Josh Herdman, who portrayed Gregory Goyle. He recalled his reaction to learning about the dance performance.
Felton remembers laughing at his ‘Harry Potter’ co-star
“I suppose we thought we were a bit cooler,” Felton penned, as reported by Insider. “We’d spend our free time together listening to rap music — Wu-Tang, Biggie, 2Pac — so when word reached Josh and me that 9-year-old Emma had put together a little dance show in her dressing room that she wanted to present to us at lunchtime, we were predictably dismissive.”
Continuing on, Felton recalled how he reacted to Watson’s performance. “We sniggered our way down to Emma’s show, and the sniggers grew louder as she danced,” Felton remembered. “We were just being s***** boys, largely out of awkwardness and because we thought taking the piss was cool, but Emma was visibly upset by our thoughtless reaction. I did feel like a bit of a d***, and rightly so.”
What kind of relationship do Felton and Watson have today, post-Harry Potter?
While Watson may have been upset at the time, she has more than recovered from Felton’s faux pas. In the years since her memorable dance performance, she and Felton developed a close bond. It is a deep connection that still persists today. In fact, it was the Noah star who penned the foreword for Felton’s memoir. In the book, Watson referred to herself and Felton as “soulmates.” Meanwhile, Felton describes them as “kindred spirits.” And while there’s been nothing romantic between the pair, they do talk almost every week. Clearly, there’s no love lost between the actors, and they’ve both moved far beyond her dance show.
