Emma Watson Felt ‘Like an Imposter Just Being an Actress’
Though Emma Watson began acting professionally when she was only 11 years old, she wasn’t always sure she wanted to make acting her career. Though Watson was convinced that she was destined to play Hermione Granger, she wasn’t sure the entertainment industry was her path. And even when she did commit to the profession in adulthood, she still grappled with imposter syndrome despite her resume.
Emma Watson wasn’t always sure that she wanted to be a professional actor
Acting may have been Watson’s first job, but it wasn’t until she completed the Harry Potter movies that she decided that she wanted to play characters other than Hermione. In an interview with GQ UK, the Beauty and the Beast star got candid about questioning her career path.
“I think when I was younger I wasn’t really sure if I wanted to act, so I played around with a few different ideas,” Watson revealed. “I wasn’t sure whether I might want to write or whether I might want to do something in fashion.” Eventually, Watson settled on acting in addition to other pursuits like her work in activism. But despite her many years as a thespian, she still struggled to feel as if she belonged.
Why the ‘Beauty and the Beast’ actor feels like an imposter
“I feel like an imposter just being an actress,” Watson explained to GQ. “Just like someone could find me out at any moment. I never studied acting. I am embarrassed that I go to meetings and directors reference films and I haven’t seen any of them. I am still just catching up on one particular thing I am interested in. I really believe that you have to earn things. I don’t feel comfortable unless I have worked really hard.”
Watson certainly feels as if she earned her most famous role. The Noah actor attacked her Harry Potter audition with single-minded focus and determination. She felt a deep affinity for the bright witch and thus did everything in her power to make sure that her auditions for the coveted role were as good as they could possibly be.
Watson worked very hard on her ‘Harry Potter’ audition
“I worked hard to get Hermione, and my mum has a video I did for the first audition and she has me doing the same take over and over, like 27 times from nine in the morning until five in the afternoon and I was just relentless,” Watson remembered. “I wasn’t sure I wanted to act, but I was sure I wanted this part.”
Not only did Watson desperately want to play Hermione, but she truly felt that the role was destined for her. In between her many auditions, she would often wait by the phone, waiting for news that she’d made it to the next round. Even her parents weren’t able to keep her realistic about her odds of nabbing the coveted role. It seems that Watson’s tenacity about the role paid off. She may have felt like an imposter while acting, but it seems she was always sure of her ability to play Hermione.
