Emma Watson: 'I want to start taking more risks'

Emma Watson, the actress, has spoken of her life after the Harry Potter films, claiming she is now more confident and wants to start taking risks. 

Emma Watson photographed by Mario Testino for the December 2010

The 20-year-old, famous for playing Hermione Granger in the blockbuster series, said she wished she had “done more naughty things” and wants to make the most of being single.

However, she revealed that she rarely gets asked on dates by men and longs to fall in love.

In an interview with The Sun ahead of next week’s London premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – the final film of the series – Watson said she felt she was leaving her life as a child star behind.

“Three months ago I cut my hair and at that moment I felt I became a woman,” she said.
“At the moment I’m just happy to be single. I want to live life to the full. But I’m more grown up and confident now. I’m ready to take more risks. I feel less girlish than ever.
“I’m very romantic and of course I want to be in love. But men don’t really ask me out.”
Watson, who has amassed an estimated fortune of £20 million since beginning her acting career aged nine, is currently studying for a history degree in the US at Brown University, Rhode Island.
She said she enjoys being able to avoid the limelight there, because she is not as well known in the US, but misses Britain. She claimed that one boyfriend had never heard of Harry Potter and had no idea she was a famous actress.
Watson added that she has further acting projects in the pipeline but also wants to write a book and learn to play the mandolin.

 

(Harry Potter Premiere 2010) Serious-Minded Adornment of the Day: The Red Poppy

 
Bright red poppies were noticeably displayed on the chests of Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Daniel Radcliffe, and other cast members of the final Harry Potter film at last night's London premiere. Which came as no surprise to anyone who's spent time in the UK over the past two weeks or so. Every year, from the first to the eleventh of November — or Armistice Day — the poppies adorn the coat buttonholes of everyone, from schoolchildren to the Queen, in a tradition started shortly after World War I. Paper poppies are sold and worn (generally for the first eleven days of November), in memory of British and Commonwealth soldiers fallen in war, including latter day conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The poppy was chosen, and largely inspired, by the 1915 poem "In Flanders Field" by a Canadian military doctor, John McCrae. In the churned up countryside of Flanders, Belgium, where some of the bloodiest and longest encounters of World War I took place, about the only thing to grow were vast fields of poppies that sprung up even as the shells continued to fall. Supposedly thriving on the lime from the rubble of demolished buildings, the phenomenon was first noticed one hundred years earlier in almost the same spot during the Napoleonic campaigns. The bright red color is, of course, a ready symbol for bloodshed. It's a rare sight in New York, but for a few days a year, it's a handy way to spot a fellow Brit, Canadian, or Australian on the subway.

Emma Watson at the Harry Potter Premiere 2010

Emma Watson dazzles fans at Harry Potter premiere

Emma Watson dazzled fans at the premiere of Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows by appearing on the red carpet in a skimpy black lace minidress.

Emma Watson poses as she arrives for the world premiere of 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1'

The outfit, complete with a feathered skirt, was in marked contrast to the prim and elegant and elegant outfits Watson, 20, has worn at the six previous Potter first nights.

Watson, who stars as Hermione Grainger in the wizard series, met some of the fans who had camped out in the rain for hours in London's Leicester Square.

She was joined on the red carpet co-stars Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint, who both wore smart suits for the launch of the first instalment of Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows.

In the new film Watson, who plays Hermione Granger, is seen kissing Radcliffe's Harry in a hallucination sequence.

Radcliffe has said he was surprised by how passionate Watson was while filming the scene.

Watson said: "I don't know what to say. I suppose it had to be a kiss that would make Ron really jealous and so I think that's why I was so passionate."

The film, which tells the story of Harry's final battle against the evil Lord Voldemort, will be followed next July by the concluding chapter in the saga, based on JK Rowling's bestselling books.

It marks a transition from the previous films and Grint, who plays Ron Weasley, said he thought the new film would shock fans.

He said: "I think they'll be quite shocked. A lot of characters die and it's quite scary. The whole world [of Harry Potter] is darker."