Emma Watson Waited by the Phone for Weeks After Her ‘Harry Potter’ Auditions
It’s fair to say that Emma Watson won a kind of lottery when she was cast as Hermoine Granger in the Harry Potter movies. Though she didn’t have any professional acting credits, she somehow managed to beat out thousands of other girls for the role. However, the actor went through several rounds of grueling auditions before she learned that she got the part. And the waiting game wasn’t easy on the then 9-year-old.
Emma Watson was obsessive about her ‘Harry Potter’ audition
From the moment that Watson learned that the Harry Potter books were being adapted for the big screen, she dreamed of playing Hermoine. Like the bright witch, Watson has an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. So when the chance to audition for the character materialized, Watson took the opportunity very seriously. She devoted entire days to learning her lines.
“I got the role as Hermione in Harry Potter when I was nine and I loved learning my lines,” Watson revealed to W Magazine. “I was completely obsessive and I would do it over and over and over again. Funnily enough, in the first Harry Potter film, if you watch carefully in some scenes you can see me mouthing Harry and Ron’s lines as well as my own because that’s just what I was like. I was crazy.”
The movie star waited by the phone to get updates about her audition for Hermione Granger
Watson wasn’t just obsessed with learning her lines, she was also obsessed with being updated about the audition process itself. In fact, the Harry Potter alum would sit by the phone just waiting for news that she’d got the part.
“I ended up doing eight auditions to get my role,” Watson shared. “I auditioned with maybe three or four different sets of Harrys. I would just literally like sit by the telephone and wait to get a phone call and sometimes it would be weeks. I learned then if you’re waiting for something to come it never comes. The phone call always came when I was out of the house. Always.”
Watson’s parents were terrified that she was so invested in joining the ‘Harry Potter’ cast
Naturally, Watson’s obsession worried her parents. They knew that the odds of her getting the part were astoundingly low. However, Watson was resolute in her quest to join the Harry Potter cast. Though the Noah actor was raised by two lawyers, even her parents weren’t able to reason with 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 shared with Interview Magazine. “They were trying to make me stay realistic—but I wasn’t having any of it. I was going to get that part.”
Ultimately, Watson’s obsession and determination served her well. She eventually won the role of Hermoine Granger. And while she considered leaving the Harry Potter franchise, she eventually stuck it out for all eight movies.
