Emma Watson Where Is She Now

Emma Watson has been a movie star more than half her life at this point. The actor who shot to worldwide fame thanks to her role as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter series of films spent the entirety of her teens and her 20s in the spotlight, but fans might have noticed she hasn't released a movie since 2019. Now, as she launches a new non-acting venture, she's explaining why.

, which was released over the 2019 holiday season, but actually finished shooting in 2018. That means she hasn't acted in about five years at this point, and she has no announced new projects on the horizon as an actor. Speaking to The Financial Times about the launch of Renais gin, a new spirit she's worked on with her younger brother Alex, Watson explained why it's been so long since she's taken on a new film role.

“I wasn’t very happy, if I’m being honest, ” Watson said. “I think I felt a bit caged. The thing I found really hard was that I had to go out and sell something that I really didn’t have very much control over. To stand in front of a film and have every journalist be able to say, ‘How does this align with your viewpoint?’ It was very difficult to have to be the face and the spokesperson for things where I didn’t get to be involved in the process.

Emma Watson Took A Break From Acting Because She “felt A Bit Caged”

That desire to be involved in the process has led Watson to other ventures beyond acting, including investments, fashion, and now, tapping into her family's longtime love of making alcohol. She's even stepped into directing, helming an ad campaign for Prada and signing on for a still-unannounced music video gig. But that doesn't mean she's done acting forever. Watson acknowledged that she will return to the screen again eventually, though she's not necessarily in a hurry to make that happen. 

“Yes, absolutely, Watson said when asked if she would return to acting. But I’m happy to sit and wait for the next right thing. I love what I do. It’s finding a way to do it where I don’t have to fracture myself into different faces and people. And I just don’t want to switch into robot mode any more. Does that make sense?” The British actor was 10 years old when she began filming her breakout role in “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, ” subsequently co-starring in the following six movies.

After starring in films like “The Bling Ring, ” “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” and “The Circle, ” she said she “wasn’t very happy” while being a movie star. Her last film was 2018’s “Little Women.”

Emma Watson Reveals She Is Taking A Break From Acting, Says 'i Felt A Bit Caged'

“I wasn’t very happy, if I’m being honest, ” Watson, 33, told Financial Times in an interview. “I think I felt a bit caged. The thing I found really hard was that I had to go out and sell something that I really didn’t have very much control over. To stand in front of a film and have every journalist be able to say, ‘How does this align with your viewpoint?’ It was very difficult to have to be the face and the spokesperson for things where I didn’t get to be involved in the process.” 

Watson said that she was held accountable “in a way that I began to find really frustrating, because I didn’t have a voice, I didn’t have a say.”

“And I started to realize that I only wanted to stand in front of things where if someone was going to give me flak about it, I could say, in a way that didn’t make me hate myself, ‘Yes, I screwed up, it was my decision, I should have done better, ’” she said.

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Watson found a new creative avenue with writing and directing a campaign for Prada. She called it a “very” big moment for her.

“People always told me I should direct and produce, even when I was on ‘Potter, ’” she said. “I was worried it was just technical, not creative, and I couldn’t bring what I think is probably my skill set.”

It was thanks to her brother, Alex Watson, and friends asking her to do a photo shoot or make a video that made her realize she could try her hand at filmmaking.

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“I actually know quite a lot about that. Being a director seemed unattainable. I don’t think I had any confidence in that, ” she said. “I know it seems weird. I mean, I grew up on a film set.”

Watson will continue to direct. She already has a gig set directing a music video for an artist she can’t reveal but people have “definitely heard of him.”

As for what she currently enjoys is working with her brother on his newly launched gin, Renais, which is pronounced “Renée” and means “rebirth.” 

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“What I really love is the culture here of the harvest. I like coming together with everyone. I like the rituals around it and the history and the connection with the people here, ” she said of the small French town Chablis where her family has long visited. “For me it’s about family and community and it makes me feel grounded that there’s somewhere I can come back to, year after year after year.” 

She does, however, plan to act again. Per the magazine, if all goes to plan, she will begin shooting in early 2024.

“Yes, absolutely. But I’m happy to sit and wait for the next right thing. I love what I do, ” Watson said. “It’s finding a way to do it where I don’t have to fracture myself into different faces and people. And I just don’t want to switch into robot mode any more. Does that make sense?”

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“I felt really sad and really pissed off about a lot of things. I learned more about love and being a woman, ” she wrote in part, also detailing how therapy helped her and all the things she did during her time away from the spotlight. “It took me three years, but I have finally figured out a daily practice and can actually keep it for more than a few days in a row.”

Liz Calvario is a Los Angeles-based reporter and editor for  who covers entertainment, pop culture and trending news. She enjoys rocking a stylish outfit, a good cup of coffee, traveling and the soulful sounds of the Backstreet Boys.