Emma Watson Wanted to Buy the House She Rented but Couldn’t

Emma Watson is no stranger to money. Thanks to her involvement in the Harry Potter franchise, and a number of other movies, the actor has an impressive net worth. But despite being worth a whopping $85 million, Watson is still a pretty conservative spender. In fact, her first-ever car was a Toyota Prius, a vehicle that is championed for being both affordable and environmentally friendly. Watson’s biggest financial splurges seem to be on houses. Over the years, the actor and activist has spent a pretty penny on dwelling places for herself.

Emma Watson’s net worth was a mystery to her until the age of 18

Perhaps the reason that Watson has been so conservative is because she was unaware of her own wealth for a long time. Though she was making millions from portraying Hermione Granger, she wasn’t confronted with her own net worth until she was a legal adult. It was then that she learned just how rich she was. But that didn’t inspire her to start spending quickly or irresponsibly.

The ‘Beauty and the Beast’ star wasn’t able to buy the house that she fell in love with

“My dad told me when I turned 18,” Watson told GQ UK of learning about her incredible net worth. “I haven’t done anything decadent or mad with my money,” the actor revealed. “You look pleadingly at me, you are like, ‘Please tell me you have done something, please tell me you are not all boring and responsible.'”

Watson may not have bought an ice cream truck like her Harry Potter co-star, but she did use some of her money on a home that she loved. However, she wasn’t able to buy it outright. “The truth is, I rent a house in London,” Watson explained. “It was the house I fell in love with, and they would not sell it to me.”

Watson purchased her home without ever seeing it in person

But the London house that Watson loved wouldn’t be the last home where she had a landlord. “I rented in New York when I was there,” the actor added. Eventually, Watson was able to purchase a home outright. Vanity Fair reported that the actor actually used her impressive net worth to buy a house without ever seeing it in real life. Apparently, one feature made the actor eager to sign on the dotted line.

So what was the coveted feature that Watson had to have? The house that she purchased boasted a paparazzi-proof entrance. For someone who’s been dodging the paparazzi since she was 9 years old, it’s understandable why the actor was so gung-ho to buy a home that kept the celebrity-obsessed photographers out. And while most people couldn’t afford to buy a house, sight-unseen, Watson’s net worth afforded her the ability to do so. It seems that the purchase was well worth it to the actor. As Watson put it: “Privacy, for me, is not an abstract idea.”