Emma Watson, looking gorgeous with her dramatic pixie cut, graces the December covers of both Marie Claire and UK Vogue. The first half of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the final installment in the series, hits theaters later this month, and Hermione Granger is ready to show the world how much she’s grown up.
In MC, Emma says the haircut was meaningful and symbolic to her, since she was restricted from doing so while filming the series, and also spoke about her time at Brown University. Her costar Daniel Radcliffe is currently working on a post-Potter movie while much has been made about the roles Emma will select to follow up her blockbuster beginnings. First, she’ll reunite with her fellow Hogwarts students to hit red carpets around the world.
Here are highlights from her interview:
On college: “The first year at Brown was about finding my feet. I found a great group of girlfriends, and now that I know how things work and what the professors expect, I’m really excited about going back for my second year, because I feel this time I can relax and enjoy it. Brown has a real sense of community, and people are very protective of me. They really look out for me; they want me to feel like I’m part of it. I threw my 20th birthday party at Brown, and I didn’t even have to say to anyone not to put pictures on Facebook. Not a single picture went up. That was when I knew I’d found a solid group of friends, and I felt like I belonged.”
On the end of Harry Potter: “My last day was pretty emotional. It was sad; it’s the end of an era. What an amazing learning experience! I gave everything I could to that role, and I got so much from it.”
Emma on her radical haircut: “I’ve wanted to do it since I was about 16, and when Harry Potter ended in June, I just needed a change . . . It was quite symbolic for me. It’s very short; it was buzzed at the back and on the sides. And it’s really liberating that I can walk out without thinking about it.”
On growing up: “I do things in my own way, but I’ve never felt any need to rebel. To be honest, I’ve always had far too much freedom. I had a job when I was 10. I started living on my own when I was 17 or 18. I’ve earned my own money; I’ve traveled the world. What would I rebel against? I’ve had so much freedom, sometimes it was hard. My parents wanted to protect me, but they had no idea how to. I had to learn as I went and make my own mistakes. I went from being totally unknown and never acting professionally to being in a major movie and being very famous. It all happened so quickly, I didn’t have any time to work things out. It’s been pretty scary at times.”
Emma Watson was spotted leaving private viewing of Harry Potter on Friday (November 5). She’s back in the UK to shoot her part in My Week With Marilyn and next up is the Nov. 11 world premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
She’s also had a late night out with a few guy friends at the Wolseley in London on Thursday (November 4).