Emma Watson ‘Always Knew’ That Hermione Belonged to Her
Though Emma Watson has starred in a ton of movies throughout the course of her career, she will always be known for her role in the Harry Potter movies. For 10 years Watson portrayed Hermione Granger, an exceptionally talented and intelligent witch who was one of Harry Potter’s best friends. The role transformed every aspect of Watson’s life forever and the actor even feels like the part was always destined to be hers.
Given that the Harry Potter books were exceptionally popular, the casting process for the films was extraordinarily competitive. The producers and casting directors searched all over England in order to find the right people to bring the characters to life. Casting for the famous trio: Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger was especially competitive. So just how did Watson land one of the lead roles?
Emma Watson explains how she was cast in the ‘Harry Potter’ movies
Watson was already familiar with the books thanks to her dad. The Noah alum revealed that her father would read her excerpts of the books before she went to bed or on long car rides. So, when the producers came to Watson’s school, she was over the moon. They took photographs of Watson and about 20 other children in her age range and three weeks later she got a phone call.
Of course, the phone call was only the first step in what would be a very arduous audition process for Watson. In fact, the actor would go through a total of eight auditions before being cast in the role of Hermione. However, the process only strengthened Watson’s belief that the part was her for the taking. She felt such a deep synergy with the character that she wouldn’t allow herself to believe she wouldn’t get it.
Why the movie star felt the role of Hermione Granger belonged to her
“I loved the books—I was a massive fan. I just felt like that part belonged to me,” Watson shared in a conversation for Interview Magazine. “I know that sounds crazy, but from that first audition, I always knew. At the beginning, they were casting the other characters as well—but I always knew I was going out for Hermione. She came so naturally to me. Maybe so much of myself at the time was similar to her. Of course, all this terrified my parents—there were literally thousands and thousands of girls going out for the audition, and my parents were anxious about what I would do if I didn’t get it.”
Watson’s parents weren’t able to convince her she wouldn’t get the part
Continuing on, Watson shared that her parents even tried to prepare her in case she didn’t get the role as the odds truly weren’t in her favor. But the Little Women alum refused to entertain the idea that she wasn’t going to be the one cast. “They were trying to make me stay realistic—but I wasn’t having any of it,” Watson shared about her parents. “I was going to get that part.” Clearly, Watson’s instincts that the part was hers were spot on. Given her interests and intelligence, it certainly feels like Hermione Granger was the role she was born to play.
