Emma Watson ‘Went Full Out’ For 1 Audition: ‘I Put on Tons of Bronzer and a Fake Tan’
Emma Watson has never been afraid to invest a ton of time and effort into her auditions. At 9, she spent a full day practicing her lines for her Harry Potter audition. Obviously, Watson’s tenacity paid off because she landed the coveted role of Hermione Granger. But even after Watson became a household name, she still approached her auditions with quite a bit of effort.
Emma Watson was determined to work with director, Sofia Coppola
At this stage in Watson’s career, she gets quite a few outright offers. This means that the Little Women alum is able to bypass the audition process altogether. However, every so often, Watson has to audition for a part or even fight for a role that has garnered a ton of interest. One such role was the part of Nicki in Sofia Coppola’s The Bling Ring.
Watson was a fan of Coppola long before she had the opportunity to work with her. After singing the director’s praises to her agent, the Brown University alum eventually had the opportunity to meet with Coppola. It was at this meeting that Watson learned that Coppola was working on a new film. According to an interview with Rookie Mag, Watson knew immediately that she wanted a place in The Bling Ring cast.
“She told me she was working on a project with young people in it. I read the script for The Bling Ring and I just got obsessed,” Watson recalled of her initial meeting with Coppola. “For Sofia Coppola to be making a film which is a meditation on film and celebrity culture and what that all means, how it impacts society, and the psyches of young women in particular—I was like, ‘OK, I have to be in your movie. I really, really, really want to be in your movie.'”
The ‘Harry Potter’ alum recalls her audition for ‘The Bling Ring’
Of course, Watson was far from the only actor who felt like they had to be in Coppola’s film. The Beauty and the Beast star knew that she had to find a way to stand out from the pack. Thus Watson went all-in on her audition, even altering her appearance a bit in hopes of securing the role.
“For my audition, I went out and bought hoop earrings and this crazy hat like the one Alexis [the person who Watson’s character, Nicki, is based on] wears when she goes to see her lawyer, and I put on tons of bronzer and a fake tan—I just went full-out and had the best time doing it,” Watson recalled. “Cause it’s really the first time I’ve gotten to play someone who’s a real character, someone just so different from me.”
Watson’s friends were shocked by her audition tape
Watson’s audition for Nicki was so far from who she was that she decided to share it with her friends. In an interview with GQ UK, she further reflected on the experience. “The fun thing for me was that I showed my audition tape to my friends. Half of them had their jaw drop, and the rest were just hysterical, laughing because it was so different,” Watson shared. “That’s so exciting for me, because it meant I really was acting.”
Clearly, the work that Watson put into her audition paid off. She eventually nabbed the coveted role and had a great time working with Coppola. We’re sure the activist’s millions of fans are chomping at the bit to see what characters she’ll tackle next.
