Emma Watson was interviewed for Time 10 questions with... just after the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1.
The interview is more suitable for advanced students of English, but I think intermediate students can have a go at it and will be able to understand most parts of the interview.
Self-study activity:
Watch the five-minute interview through and note down the questions the Emma is asked. Beware! You will have to minimise or scroll down the screen, as the questions are shown on-screen.
Now watch the interview again. What's Emma's answer to each question?
You can read a full transcript below.
I’m Rebecca Jones from Time and we are here with Emma Watson, who’s starring in the new movie Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1. Thanks so much for being here, Emma.
Thank you for having me.
So I think we had a record number of questions for you, 1600…
Oh my goodness!
…so we’d better get started…
That’s amazing!
We’ve narrowed them down. I ‘m gonna start with a very girlie question for you. You look amazing with the new do! What made you cut it?
I think I just needed a change, you know, I had my hair long for ten years when I was playing Hermione and then when I finished filming I just… I needed to… I just needed to do something different.
How would you describe yourself before Harry Potter and after Harry Potter? Obviously you’ve grown…
That's a huge question because before I did Harry Potter I was ten years old, and now I'm 20 years old, so obviously, you know, all the changes that go hand in hand with umm, you know, growing up, physical changes, emotional changes, umm but in terms of how Harry Potter's affected my life I've learned how to be an actress, you know, I would say I was so young that when I first started out the director would literally have to direct me as the camera was rolling, you know, and really steer me in a big way, and now I can make my own choices and I have my own instincts about it and I know how a film set runs and works and just how a movie is made, so I think that's pretty huge.
That said, Mairead Horton from Cary, North Carolina wonders, would you consider a profession outside of acting?
I think... I want... the difficulty with me is I’m interested in so many different things. I can never really imagine myself doing one thing, and I'm pretty sure though I'll end up doing four or five different things. I wanna be a Renaissance woman, that's my thing. I wanna paint, and I wanna write, and I wanna act, and I wanna just do everything.
Why did you choose to attend Brown?
Em… because I love... its kind of liberal approach to an education and I love the sense of community that there is there and the anonymity that I have over in the States. I just think it has just such a great atmosphere, I don't know, I just really love it and it feels like home now.
You’re in your sophomore year? That’s great.
Yes!
A question from Tory Dailey in Jacksonville Florida. What was the last day of filming like?
It was really emotional, it felt very surreal, it almost felt like an out-of-body experience because… I felt like it's been coming for such a long time and I felt like I’d spoken about it so much and thought about it so much when it actually arrived it just didn't feel real, it was really hard to process, so… it was weird.
How much time elapsed between that day and the day you cut your hair?
I think I left like two or three weeks. I needed like enough time to kind of find my feet and then I was like, right, now I'm ready, it's time. And you really have to be in a good frame of mind to do something so drastic to your appearance, you know, and I needed to be in a really good place, and when I was feeling very confident I was like, I’m gonna do it, I’m going to cut it all off.
If you could run away from all the bother of being a celebrity for one day, where would you go and what would you do?
I guess just like go and stand in the middle of a mosh pit in a rock concert because I usually can't get away with that because people tend to recognize me and then things get a little crazy. So, you know, just like being in the middle of a big crowd, yes, and just be anonymous.
Although it just sounds to me like that’s happening a little bit in college.
It is actually, college... Brown is being amazing and I really get left alone there so I’m very grateful.
Have you had a choice of major yet?
Yes, I'm major in history.
Oh, that’s great.
Yeah I'm really excited.
One more from Erica Bode from Arlington Texas. You had doubts about continuing to play Hermione after the fifth movie was finished. How do you feel your life would have been altered if you had not decided to return for the last three films?
I think I probably would have been public enemy number one. I would not have been very popular. I think I would've… I think I would find it very difficult watching the movies being made without me being part of them ‘cause I grew up making them, felt like part of, being part that film franchise feels like part of my identity in a way. Things would’ve been a little easier for me to get a lot more of sleep and things would’ve been maybe less hectic but I definitely made the right decision.
Is there a role you would really like to play?
Tons. Which one to choose? I would love to play, Juliette in Romeo and Juliette.
Oh, I hope casting directors are watching this.
Me, too.
So nice to have you here.
Thank you so much.
Very nice to meet you.
