It’s difficult to imagine anyone but Emma Watson starring as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter film series. Although the Hermione in the books looks a little different (with bucked teeth and frizzier hair, to be precise), Watson completely embodied the essence of the character and brought her to life, much to the delight of adoring fans. Today, the Harry Potter films are among the most famous literary adaptations in history and Watson played a huge part in that.
As painful as it is to imagine a Harry Potter world without Emma Watson as Hermione, this could have easily been a reality, since the Paris-born star didn’t choose to audition for the life-changing role in the first place. Keep reading to find out about how Watson finally landed the part of Hermione (one of her greatest roles), what happened at the initial casting auditions that could have changed the course of the films, and the other doubts she had that crept up during filming.
A Background in Acting
As a young girl, Emma Watson dreamed of life as an actress. She grew up in England at attended the Stagecoach Theatre Arts company in Oxfordshire, where she performed in a series of school plays and honed her singing and dancing talents.
In an interview with W Magazine in 2015, Watson confessed that she loved being on stage as a child: “I loved singing, I loved the lights, I loved the adrenaline.”
But when the initial Harry Potter audition loomed, Watson was initially reluctant to take part.
The Reluctant Audition
The casting team behind the Harry Potter film franchise began their casting journey by visiting schools around the UK. One of the most interesting Harry Potter facts is that Emma Watson reportedly had no desire to audition when the casting team arrived at her school.
Despite her dreams of being an actress, it was actually Watson’s theatre teachers who convinced her to take part in the audition. If it were up to Emma, she may never have auditioned and her fate, as well as the fate of the films, would have been very different.
It’s not clear why the actress was initially so reluctant to audition. She later revealed feeling intimidated by some of the other candidates for the role of Hermione, so it could have been a lack of self-belief. Luckily her teachers convinced her to dive right into the audition!
The Nine Auditions
While she was reportedly reluctant to partake in the first audition that was held in her school gym, Emma Watson soon decided that becoming Hermione was something she wanted to pursue.
Following the initial audition, Watson was called back for a further eight auditions before she was hired. One of the things that you might not know about Emma Watson is that she became so emotionally invested in the process after this that she actually sat by the phone in her house waiting to hear back from the producers.
Eventually, she was called in to producer David Heyman’s office and told that she was the “preferred candidate”.
Feeling Intimidated by Her Competitors
It’s fair to say that the audition process for Harry Potter seemed unusual to a young Emma Watson, who had until that point only ever acted in school plays. Along with being a gruelling process, the auditions sometimes left the young budding actress feeling intimidated by her competitors.
“I won’t say the name, but there was this girl who had already done a film before,” Watson revealed (via Cheat Sheet). “I can remember just crumbling at the sight of her, thinking, ‘She’s been in a film before, and she knows how to do this. I have no chance.’”
That just goes to show that everyone suffers from self-doubt from time to time, even some of the world’s most talented and accomplished figures. And since Watson landed the part and was such a success as Hermione, it’s clear that self-doubt isn’t always well-informed!
Doubts Later in the Franchise
After her initial reluctance to audition for the films, Emma Watson completely shifted her mindset and became dedicated to the role. But fast-forward five years and the actress, who at this point had acted in the first five Harry Potter films, was having doubts again.
According to Vogue, the star was considering not returning for the remaining movies. One of the biggest factors affecting her decision was the fact that she wanted to study at university, but filming was getting in the way of that. She also commented that filming each movie was such a huge process and they each took a very long time.
Luckily, the studio changed some of its filming processes to allow Watson to have more control over her education. With these changes, she signed on to complete the series (and fans are relieved!). Then she went to college after she had already found global fame.
It seems that Watson herself believes that she ultimately made the right decision in sticking it out until the end of the franchise: “I would have found it very difficult watching the movies being made without me as a part of them, because I grew up making them,” she admitted (via Vogue). “Being a part of this film franchise feels like part of my identity in a way. I would have gotten a lot more sleep. But I definitely made the right decision.”