The history of Hollywood is littered with cautionary tales of young actors who burned out after a bright start in the industry, but Emma Watson has managed to find life beyond Hermione Granger, but separating herself from the brainy Muggle-born witch hasn't always been easy.
The English actress made her debut as Granger at age 11 and portrayed the character for a full decade, appearing in all eight Harry Potter movies. Audiences watched her turn into a young woman on the big screen, and according to Watson, she's often held to a different standard as a result.
It's one of the things that I struggle with, because the three of us — Dan [Radcliffe], Rupert [Grint], and I — were kids when we got cast in this fairy-tale series, and what happened to us was kind of a fantasy story in itself, outside of the movies," she said (via Interview magazine). "So the story of my life has been of public interest, which is why I've been so passionate about having a private identity."
Actresses that find themselves in Watson's position sometimes use nudity as a way of showing the world that they're not kids anymore. For example, Twilight star Kristen Stewart put the tween franchise firmly behind her when she went topless in 2012's On the Road. How come Watson has turned her nose up at the idea?
When she sat down with The Sunday Times Magazine just before the release of the penultimate Harry Potter installment, The Deathly Hallows – Part 1, Watson insisted that she wouldn't be pressured into breaking bad. "I'm not going to get my kit off or snort cocaine in a film, just to leave Hermione behind," she said (via the New York Daily News). "I don't want everyone to forget me as Hermione. I'm really proud of her."
The bilingual actress made her feelings on nudity perfectly clear during the interview, although her opinion on the topic appeared to soften somewhat after 2011's The Deathly Hallows – Part 2. Speaking to The Sun ahead of the final Harry Potter film's London premiere, a new- look Watson revealed that she was feeling "less girlish" with every passing day. "Three months ago I cut my hair and at that moment I felt I became a woman," she said (via The Telegraph). "...I'm more grown up and confident now. I'm ready to take more risks." It was perhaps these comments that led to Watson's name being linked with the role of Anastasia Steele, the doe-eyed female protagonist of the Fifty Shades of Gray series.