Emma Watson's Gorgeous Transformation

We met Emma Watson at just 10 years old when she portrayed goody two shoes witch Hermione Granger in the first of the hugely popular "Harry Potter" movies, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." And, boy, has she come a long way since then. We've seen this talented star graduate college, portray a modern Disney princess, and repeatedly use her voice for social change. She's learned a lot in that time too, not just about her craft, but about herself. "I've been doing this since I was 10 or 11, and I've often thought, I'm so wrong for this job because I'm too serious; I'm a pain in the ass; I'm difficult; I don't fit," she told Vanity Fair in 2017. "But as I've got older, I've realized, No! Taking on those battles, the smaller ones and the bigger ones, is who I am."

Despite being named 2009's highest-paid actress in Hollywood, she's dipped in and out of the spotlight in her adult years, only giving select interviews while taking multiple acting breaks. That included a long stretch away from the bright lights of the red carpet and movie sets following her appearance in 2019's "Little Women." But how did she go from being one of the most visible celebrities in the world to living a more private life away from the spotlight, picking and choosing her projects with extreme precision? We're looking back at her gorgeous transformation.

Though Emma Watson's quintessential British accent suggests she's as English as they come, she was actually born in France in 1990. She lived there until she was 5 years old with her British parents and brother, Alex Watson, but the family moved back to the U.K. when Watson's parents divorced. Amid the split, the little girl turned to books and acting to cope with her new normal (so it's no wonder Watson's favorite books embrace the power of nostalgia in reading). "Books gave me a way to connect with my father," she told Vanity Fair. "Some of my most precious and treasured moments ... I just remember him reading to me before bed and how he used to do all the different voices," she added. 

The star later revealed on the "Jay Shetty Podcast" that focusing on acting provided an escape while she was going back and forth between her mom and dad. "It wasn't just the divorce, it was just the continuing situation of living between two different houses and two different lives and two different sets of values," she said, noting her parents had different approaches to parenting. "The hard part of that was that no one gave me any easy answers. It meant I had to form all of my own opinions myself because there was no consensus, and it made me a critical thinker, for sure," she added.

In 1999, Emma Watson auditioned for the role that would catapult her to fame and change her life forever: Hermione Granger in "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." She told W she auditioned eight times before landing the prestigious gig. "I was crazy ... I would literally sit by the telephone in my house and wait for each call,'" she said. But when the 9-year-old was finally cast, things moved quickly — even though she wasn't officially told she'd gotten the gig before the news leaked online. "By the time I got back to my house [after audition nine], there was press waiting outside. We moved straight into a hotel," she recalled.

"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" premiered in 2001 and a young Emma Watson (alongside her co-stars Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint) became household names overnight. "It's something that I've wanted to do for ages. I really wanted to be an actress," Watson told Hollywood.com that year. She returned to the role in 2002 for "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" and "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" two years later.

By the time "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" hit movie theaters in 2005, Emma Watson was one of the biggest stars in the world. But she almost walked away from it all. Speaking on "Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts," Watson told her co-stars Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint (via Elle Australia), "I think I was scared. I don't know if you ever felt like it got to a tipping point where you were like, 'This is kind of forever now.'" The star admitted she felt lonely, even though she was one of the biggest stars in the world. She began finding it tough to live under such an intense spotlight at a young age. "The fame thing had finally hit home in a big way," Watson said.

The actor again considered leaving Hermione Granger in her past in 2007, having openly admitted to Newsweek she was contemplating not signing on for the remaining movies. "I don't know yet," she said when asked about if she'd sign a contract for the remaining movies. "Every film is such a huge production, and it's a long time."

Despite Emma Watson's reservations, she continued with the "Harry Potter" franchise — not that she needed the money. "Let's be honest, I have enough money never to have to work again, but I would never want that," she told Parade in 2007 (via Digital Spy), confirming she'd appear in the final three movies. "People underestimate what a big decision this was for me," she continued, noting, "This is the next three or four years of my life. Being in the spotlight and the lack of freedom are the sort of things that held me back."

Watson also opened up to British Vogue about her (very) comfortable financial situation, admitting she had initially no idea just how much money she was making. "By the third or fourth film, the money was starting to get serious. I had no idea," she said (via People). The French-born star recalled a sit down with her dad where he explained how much she'd earned (the 20-year-old was estimated to have a net worth of $32 million around 2010). "I felt sick, very emotional," she said.

That same year, the actor expanded her horizons beyond the magical movies that launched her to superstardom. She appeared in her first non-"Harry Potter" movie when she took on the lead role in the TV movie "Ballet Shoes," which served as a welcome change. "It was really nice to do something completely different," she told Alloy.

Despite being a huge star worth millions, Emma Watson was determined to further her education. In 2009 — while still filming and promoting "Harry Potter" — she swapped the U.K. for Rhode Island and began studying English Literature at Brown University, where she hoped to get the full college experience despite her celebrity status. "I was finding this fame thing was getting to a point of no return," she told Vanity Fair, adding, "I sensed if this was something I was ever going to step away from it was now or never." 

But her transition from A-list millionaire to typical college student didn't go that smoothly. Watson initially struggled to adjust to her new normal and recalled of her freshman week, "It was just awful. I was like, I must be mad. Why am I doing this?"

Emma Watson distanced herself further from Hermione in 2010. Ahead of the release of the final "Harry Potter" movie, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2," we saw one of the most dramatic chapters of Watson's hair transformation when she cut the long hair that had become her signature 'do into an edgy pixie cut. "Oh my God, it was the most liberating thing!" she told Entertainment Weekly. "The stylist just grabbed the back of my hair and took a whole ponytail of hair out. It felt amazing. I love it." 

We also started to see her activist and fashionista side come out, as she launched her own ethical clothing line with People Tree, cementing herself as a sustainable fashion icon. "I was excited by the idea of using fashion as a tool to alleviate poverty and knew it was something I could help make a difference with," she told The Guardian. But even as the "Harry Potter" mania wound down, Watson wasn't finding life in the spotlight any easier. 

Speaking to Vanity Fair about the last few movie premieres, she said "I'd walk down the red carpet and go into the bathroom. I had on so much makeup and these big, fluffy, full-on dresses. I'd put my hands on the sink and look at myself in the mirror and say, 'Who is this?'" She added, "I didn't connect with the person who was looking back at me, and that was a very unsettling feeling."

Emma Watson took a hiatus from her studies in 2011, the same year "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2," hit movie theaters. "Recently I've had so much to juggle that being a student AND fulfilling my other commitments has become a little impossible," she wrote on her website (via CBS News). The star confirmed she wasn't leaving college and would continue studying further down the line, though. 

Of her immediate plans, she noted, "[I want to] completely finish my work on 'Harry Potter' (the last one comes out this summer) and to focus on my other professional and acting projects." Three months later, she confirmed she was still enrolled at Brown University but would return to the U.K. to spend a year studying at the equally prestigious Oxford University. "Then I'll return to Brown to complete my last year," she told HamptonRoads.com. 

The star also renewed her passion for her craft and was ready to get back to work as an actor. "I'm more excited about being an actress now than I've ever been. Earlier on, I wasn't sure," she admitted. She was clearly excited to take on new roles after filming her final scenes for "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" too. "I'm out in the real world now," she said.

Emma Watson's star continued to rise after she left the "Harry Potter" movies behind. She starred in "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" in 2012, "The Bling Ring" in 2013, and "Noah" in 2014. She was busier than ever off-camera as well. Watson graduated from Brown University in 2014 and was appointed a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador that same year. "[It] is truly humbling. The chance to make a real difference is not an opportunity that everyone is given and is one I have no intention of taking lightly," she told UN Women. In 2016, she launched an online feminist book club called Our Shared Shelf.

Understandably, Watson was ready for a well-deserved career break. She revealed her plans to Paper, sharing, "I'm taking a year away from acting to focus on two things, really. My own personal development is one ... I almost thought about going and doing a year of gender studies, then I realized that I was learning so much by being on the ground and just speaking with people and doing my reading."

After taking some time away from movie sets, Emma Watson landed one of her biggest post-"Harry Potter" roles in 2017; Belle in Disney's live-action "Beauty and The Beast." This star had learned a lot from her years of acting and studying, and was involved in changing aspects of the movie to empower Belle and fit her inspiring feminist ideology. That included swapping her flimsy flats for shoes that were more durable and tough. 

"[Belle is] absolutely a Disney princess, but she's not a passive character — she's in charge of her own destiny," Watson explained to Vanity Fair. The role also marked a poignant coming of age moment in the actor's career. "When I finished the film, it kind of felt like I had made that transition into being a woman on-screen," she said.

Watson was careful to make sure her version of Belle didn't have unattainable beauty standards and felt relatable. "I insisted on keeping my freckles as a part of the movie," she told Into The Gloss. "There are so many young girls who are going through puberty who really hate having them, so I felt the need to say that I have them and that I think the look of natural skin is beautiful. I didn't want to get blanked out!" The star also adopted a greener approach to beauty off-screen. "Recently I've become super interested in sustainability and transparency and understanding what I'm putting on my face and on my body," she said.

Emma Watson appeared alongside the likes of Saoirse Ronan, edgy hair queen Florence Pugh, and Laura Dern in 2019's "Little Women." Despite the movie's huge success (it made $220 million at the global box office, according to Box Office Mojo), we saw a lot less of Watson in the public eye. And that's exactly how she wanted it. The star took a years-long break from acting, and told British Vogue in 2023 she had no regrets. "I'm so glad that I allowed things to be messy for a minute and to really allow myself to not know [what's next], because the knowing that I've come to, I wouldn't trade that for anything," she said.

In another British Vogue interview in 2020, she opened up about changing her career trajectory and her desire to focus on equality after joining the board of directors at fashion company Kering. "I am curious to embrace a role where I work to amplify more voices, to continue to learn from those with different experiences," she said of her new gig. "If people notice a new quietness from me, it does not mean I am no longer there or do not care! I will just be doing my work in a different way (fewer red carpets and more conference meetings!)" she added.

As the COVID-19 pandemic took hold across the world, Emma Watson locked down. She shared a few updates with fans across social media during the unprecedented time, writing in 2021, "Please assume no news from me just means I'm quietly spending the pandemic the way most people are — failing to make sourdough bread (!), caring for my loved ones and doing my best not to spread a virus that is still affecting so many people." She later told British Vogue she learned a lot about herself when she was forced to slow down. "Coming out of COVID, I really understood the importance of building community, having community and investing, very intentionally, time and energy into that," she said.

Watson slowly returned to the spotlight as the world opened up again, and she was ready for another drastic 'do to mark her return to the red carpet. Having grown her hair long again in the wake of her 2010 pixie cut, Watson showed off another of her best short haircuts in 2022. At the Prada Paradoxe fragrance launch party, she wowed with dramatic, dark brunette locks cut into a choppy, textured pixie (which may have been a wig).

She also added another arrow to her quiver that year and turned director for a Prada advertising campaign. "People always told me I should direct and produce, even when I was on 'Potter,'" she told the Financial Times. The actor revealed her brother helped her gain confidence to take on her new passion.

Emma Watson's acting hiatus was still in full swing in 2023 — but she was quick to shut down reports she'd permanently left her career in front of the camera behind. Speaking to the Financial Times about not appearing in a movie since 2019, she admitted, "I wasn't very happy, if I'm being honest 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." When asked if she planned to return to her once-thriving acting career, she replied, "Yes, absolutely. 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."

She shared a similar sentiment with Hollywood Authentic during a rare interview in 2025, stating she didn't miss the inauthentic, materialistic side of being an actor. "I do very much miss using my skill set, and I very much miss the art. I just found I got to do so little of the bit that I actually enjoyed," she said. Watson also shared that, while she may not have been as visible in the public eye, she'd been working hard on a secret project behind the scenes. "[It's] something that I've never done before," she teased.

The most important thing, though? She was thriving. "I am maybe the happiest and healthiest I've ever been," she said. Whether she ever returns to the big screen or not, that's truly all that matters.