Muggles know her as Hermione Granger, the outspoken witch from the Harry Potter movies.
But the petite, polite Emma Watson seems shockingly normal. Her entourage consists of an unobtrusive security guard and her father, who, his daughter proudly says, dressed up as King Triton from “The Little Mermaid” for her fifth birthday.
“I’m a massive animated film fan,” she said. “And now I have my own.”
That is “The Tale of Despereaux,” the animated story of a mouse (Matthew Broderick) who wakens the lonely Princess Pea (Watson) from the isolation of her life.
“I felt really sorry for (her). She says that ‘One day, my prince will come,’ and it was really sweet that her prince came in the form of this goofy mouse,” Watson says.
At home in London, Watson takes the subway, plays tennis and field hockey, and shops with friends.
“I can’t imagine … being trapped and locked in hotel rooms and cars,” says Watson.
In fact, most of Watson’s time is spent shooting the “Potter” films.
The sixth film, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” opens in July.
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” the final installment, starts shooting in February and will be released in two parts. “And then I’ll be done,” she says. “It’s so much a part of my life, and it’s going to be so strange when it’s over. It’s strange being 18 and thinking … that probably I will never be part of something this big again in my lifetime.”
Watson’s personal fortune is estimated to be $20 million, so she might never have to work again. She is applying to colleges, mostly in the United States, plans to start next fall and hopes to study English literature.
“The wealth side of it hasn’t hit me yet because I have no need for money in my life. I still live at home. I eat meals with my family every night. I don’t go out a huge amount. I don’t really travel a lot,” she says.
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