14 DAY TRIAL // The June 2010 issue of Vanity Fair carries a piece on “Harry Potter” sweetheart Emma Watson, of whom it says she’s the only actress of her age capable of generating two different kinds of reactions in her fans: “Awww!” and “Whoaaa!” Dressed in a ruffled creation that suits her sweet character but also prevents her from coming across as plain, Emma opens up to the magazine about being a star – the highest grossing actress of the decade – and a normal person.
As fans must already know, Emma is now a student at Brown college. The transition from the film world to being just a regular girl of her age was not an easy one, the star explains for VF, a statement she made on past occasions as well. For one, she half expected and half dreaded to be welcome by the same frenzy she generates in her fans on public outings and it made her, at one point, even consider giving up on the idea of going to school.
Luckily, things were better than she expected: placed in a room with a roommate that never even heard of “Harry Potter,” Emma got her shot at being a normal girl who even attends a few frat parties every now and then. “I felt like I’d walked into an American teen movie. I picked up the red cups. I was like, Wow, they really do drink from these,” she says of how she felt the first time she went to one of these parties.
Emma is also taking acting classes but that’s not something she’s really proud of. “I think actually I’m the worst person in the class,” she says. On the other hand, being bad at something means she’s not being given preferential treatment. “I was scared before I came to Brown – that I wasn’t going to be allowed to have both [a career and a normal life]. People would think that I didn’t deserve to have both. [I was afraid they’d think], You’re famous. You’re given free handbags. Why should you deserve to be normal?” the star says.
Ranking sixth on Forbes’ list of Hollywood’s Most Valuable Young Stars, Emma Watson has a fortune estimated at £10 million, which she made ever since she first undertook the Hermione part in “Harry Potter” in 2001. With this kind of money, it’s no wonder she feared students at Brown might treat her differently from their other mates.