Thrust into celebrity when she was cast as Hermione Granger in the world-renowned Harry Potter film series, Emma Watson entered adulthood with a lot of pocket money, and fame beyond most people’s wildest dreams.
Despite being worth 80 million dollars, the star is said to be extremely down to earth, maintaining her wealth through a carefully-curated career and frugal maintenance of her funds. The actor, model, and activist has created a well-balanced adult life.
Instead of focusing on partying or ‘the next big thing’, she pursued higher education and causes that she was truly passionate about.
Watson is outspoken when it comes to women’s rights, much like her most famous character. In fact, she's a Goodwill Ambassador for women’s rights. “If you want to run for Prime Minister, you can. If you don’t, that’s wonderful, too. Shave your armpits, don’t shave them, wear flats one day, heels the next; we want to empower women to do exactly what they want.”
Heeding her own advice, Emma Watson uses her fame and money to live life on her own terms. These are 15 surprising and unique ways that Emma Watson maintains (and carefully spends) her 80-million-dollar net worth.
15 The Disney Dime
Having a well-known name in Hollywood will earn you a better paycheck than unknown actors get. Thanks to the cachet of her name, Emma Watson is able to earn big bucks.
The Hollywood Reporter shared this information from a source: “Emma Watson pulled in $3 million upfront to play book-smart protagonist Belle.” Watson was also able to earn up to 15 million, depending on how much the film made at the box office. Since it made a whopping 504 million dollars in North America alone, we’re guessing she made some good coin by playing Belle in Beauty and the Beast.
14 Harry Potter Pot Of Gold
The Harry Potter series has made all of its stars rich. It’s been reported that 60 million dollars of Emma Watson’s 80-million-dollar fortune come from Harry Potter-related earnings alone.
In addition to interest from her investments, if she is in the Screen Actors Guild, it is expected that she earns residuals every time a Harry Potter film is shown publicly.
13 Little Women, Big Money?
While Emma Watson wasn’t a big star in 2019’s Little Women, her star power brought people into theatres. Information about how much money she made doing the film isn't available as of this writing, but odds are good she got at least a few million dollars to add to her bank account.
To aid in the promotion of the movie, and as a part of her 'book fairies' project (where she distributes free books all over the world), Watson ‘hid’ 2,000 copies of the book Little Women in public places for people to find and enjoy.
12 Perks Of Being A Big Name?
As Emma Watson was looking to say goodbye to Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, she needed to establish herself as a serious actor, outside of the monster franchise.
By taking on the highly-complicated role of Sam in Perks of Being A Wallflower she was able to broaden people’s view of her, which made her a good choice for a host of roles.
Watson said, "I pick movies, not roles. And, like Sam, a great role, but it's such a great movie, and I wanted to be a part of it. If you had told me that the first movie I was going to do coming out of Harry Potter was an American high school movie, I would have laughed at you. I would have gone, 'Yeah, no. That's not what I want to do. I didn't think I was going to do high school movies, period. But then I read the script, and it totally blew me away. And that's how it happens."
11 Self-Partnered, No Payout
Celebs tend to lose their money through some common pitfalls...and dividing assets during a divorce is one of those pitfalls. Since Watson is single and loving it, and recently referred to herself as ‘self-partnered’, she’s not going to be dividing up her fortune in a break-up any time soon.
Watson talked to Vogue about turning 30 and being content and confident in her life, “I never believed the whole ‘I’m happy single’ spiel. I was like, ‘This is totally spiel.’ It took me a long time, but I’m very happy [being single]. I call it being self-partnered.”
10 Brown & Oxford Educated
Education can be expensive, but Emma Watson knowns that university grads make more money (not that she was having trouble there) and learning is a good investment. Having graduated from Brown and Oxford, Watson is proud of having attended school with her fellow (non-famous) classmates.
She said, “Ignoring fame was my rebellion, in a funny way. I was insistent on being normal and doing normal things. It probably wasn’t advisable to go to college in America and room with a complete stranger. And it probably wasn’t wise to share a bathroom with eight other people in a coed dorm. Looking back, that was crazy.”
9 Offshore Assets
Protecting the interest on earnings and diversifying funds is an important part of maintaining wealth. In 2016, a public database released information on an offshore company Watson had set up in the British Virgin Islands. Watson named the company "Falling Leaves".
The Cut reported on this statement from her spokesperson, which said, “Emma (like many high-profile individuals) set up an offshore company for the sole purpose of protecting her anonymity and safety. Emma receives absolutely no tax or monetary advantages from this offshore company whatsoever — only privacy.”
8 Me Too & Time's Up
One of the ways that Watson spends her time is as an activist. Emma wore black to the Golden Globes to show her solidarity for Time’s Up and Me Too. Watson has even gotten a tattoo with the ‘Times Up’ message.
Emma spends her money advocating for women’s rights, which is a worthy investment of her time and money. She has been known to travel to Bangladesh and Zambia to help promote the importance of education for young girls and women.
7 Investments
One of the ways that Emma Watson invests her money is by putting it into the global community and charity. While these investments don’t offer a monetary payment, the impact they have on important causes is worth more than its weight in gold. In 2018, Watson donated £1m to help sexual harassment victims.
6 Natural Products
Showing the importance of sustainability is a big part of Emma Watson’s life. She is known for her environmentalist leanings and spends her money on vegan, cruelty-free beauty products. Emma wore a dress to the 2016 Met Gala that was made from recyclable materials.
Emma is both frugal and willing to pay when it comes to spending on herself. She doesn't fall for fast fashion and is always looking for investment pieces for her wardrobe that support her values and stand the test of time.
5 Real Estate Moves
Emma Watson primarily lives in the UK and spends her money on housing that provides her with the privacy she craves. Emma once bought a home on Skype to avoid paparazzi and fans.
If you ever find out she lived somewhere, odds are she's long since moved on. Watson said, “For me, it’s the difference between being able to have a life and not. If someone takes a photograph of me and posts it, within two seconds they’ve created a marker of exactly where I am within 10 metres. They can see what I’m wearing and who I’m with. I just can’t give that tracking data."
4 U.N. Role
Emma Watson didn’t become the U.N. Women’s Goodwill Ambassador for the paycheck. This voluntary role is said to come with a symbolic payment of around a dollar a year. Watson has used her role to deliver a 4,000-signature petition to Uruguay’s Parliament, to help facilitate the expansion of female-powered political participation.
3 Bold Splurges
One of the reasons Emma Watson has been able to maintain her wealth is her reluctance to spend money lavishly. She has been known to fly on low-cost airlines like Easy Jet to save money and maintain her grounded attitude.
The areas where she spends her cash are low key, like books, journals, and ski equipment. She doesn't have particularly expensive pastimes.
2 Good Habits That Will Last A Lifetime
Many regular women have a lot of shoes. Despite her celebrity, Emma Watson once told the press that she only owned eight pairs of shoes. Emma is a big fan of capsule wardrobes and has invested her money and celebrity on clothes from brands like Zady, which help women to be stylish, sustainable, and stick to their ethical standards.
Other ethical brands that have been connected to Watson include: Catbird, Good Guys Don’t Wear Leather, Woron, Simon Miller, Veja, Tome, and Kitx.
1 Travelling 'In Style'
Emma has been known to take the tube (subway) a lot. This saves her money and allows her to catch up on her reading. While she’s not a car gal, she does own a Cadillac which she uses from time to time for local travel.
Avoiding the ‘over the top’ celebrity perks like drivers, fancy cars, and private planes have allowed Emma Watson to save her money and spend it on charities she cares about, instead of wasting it on typical celebrity indulgences.
Sources: The Richest, Time Out, Wealthy Gorilla, Show Biz Cheat Sheet, Who What Wear, Independent