In a recent sit-down interview on the "On Purpose With Jay Shetty" podcast, Emma Watson delved into the intricate and nuanced dynamics of her relationship with "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling. Watson, who catapulted to global stardom by portraying Hermione Granger across all eight "Harry Potter" films from 2001 to 2011, has found herself at a distance from Rowling in recent years, primarily due to the latter's controversial stances on transgender issues.
In 2020, following a flurry of tweets and a 3,600-word essay by Rowling that sparked widespread criticism for its perceived transphobia, Watson took to social media to voice her unwavering support for the transgender community. "Trans people are who they say they are and deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned or told they aren’t who they say they are," she wrote emphatically.
During the latest episode of "On Purpose With Jay Shetty," the host probed Watson about her reaction to Rowling's assertion that she would "never forgive" the actress for her views, and that Watson, along with several of her "Harry Potter" co-stars, now "ruin" the films for her. "I truly don't believe that holding the love, support, and views that I do means I can't or don't treasure Jo and the person I had personal experiences with," Watson reflected. "I will never think that one negates the other, and that I can't retain and cherish my experience with that person. To circle back to our earlier point—I just don't think these things are mutually exclusive. It's my deepest hope that people who don't agree with my opinion will still love me, and that I can continue to love people with whom I don't necessarily share the same views."
Watson further lamented, "The thing that upsets me the most is that a dialogue was never even attempted." When Shetty inquired if she remained open to such a conversation, Watson responded with conviction, "Absolutely, and I always will. I wholeheartedly believe in that."
Having taken a seven-year (and counting) hiatus from acting, Watson confessed in an interview with Hollywood Authentic that while she misses the craft, she is "perhaps the happiest and healthiest [she’s] ever been" thanks to the break. "The bigger issue than the job itself is the promotion and selling of that work, that piece of art. The balance can get quite skewed," Watson explained. "To be candid, I don't miss the selling part at all. I found it quite soul-draining. But I do deeply miss using my skills and the art itself. I just realized I got to do so little of what I actually enjoyed."
