Emma Watson Said Dating in America Was a Huge Culture Shock

To say that Emma Watson is well-traveled would be a gross understatement. Thanks to the Harry Potter franchise, the actor began traveling at the age of 10. Film promotion took her all over the world, and she was allowed to visit a bunch of different countries. However, these days, Watson seems to split her time between England and The United States. And Watson has shared that her dating life in the latter country is extremely different than it is in the former.

Emma Watson doesn’t talk about her boyfriend in a bid for privacy

For years, Watson has been tight-lipped about who she’s dating. She’s shared that she never wants her boyfriends to feel like they’re part of a media circus. Furthermore, The Bling Ring actor places high value on her privacy. She’s explained that she can’t talk about her boyfriend in the press if she wants people to respect her boundaries. But while Watson may not be willing to give specifics about her romantic life, she’s gotten candid about dating in general.

How does the ‘Harry Potter’ actor approach dating?

So how does Watson approach dating? For obvious reasons, the Beauty and the Beast alum can’t just hop on a dating app or go on a blind date. In an interview with GQ UK, Watson shared that she’s dated people she’s met through mutual friends or during her time at college. The actor attended Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. She also spent a semester at Worcester College, a constituent college of the University of Oxford, in England.

“Generally, people I have dated have been friends of friends or people that I have been in a class with,” Watson revealed. “Someone that I have met under circumstances in which we are equals, so the fame thing doesn’t enter the situation.”

Watson explains that English guys she’s dated have been pretty reserved

Interestingly, Watson shared that dating in The States is very different from dating in her home country of England. While on The Ellen Show, she shared that American guys and English guys have wildly different approaches when it comes to asking her out and dating her.

“Yeah, there is definitely one or two differences that I’ve noticed,” Watson shared. “English guys are very well put together. They dress really well, and they are very well-mannered. But they are also very restrained. Usually, in the whole courting situation, I’m used to being, first of all, ignored for the first two months of the ritual. And then maybe they’ll acknowledge my presence. Then, they’ll probably be a little mean to me. And then, maybe we’ll you know whatever.”

The ‘Beauty and the Beast’ actor experienced culture shock when she started dating in America

Continuing on, Watson explained what her dating experience had been like in The States. “Then I arrive in America, and I remember a few nights into Brown, this guy just being like, ‘I like you. You’re great. Let’s go on a date. Let’s do it,'” Watson recalled. “I’m like: ‘I’m sorry, what just happened?’ This is like a huge culture shock for me. They’re very, like, open and very straightforward. But they wear flip-flops, and I don’t know if I like that.”

Clearly, Watson had drastically different dating experiences based on where she was in the world. Watson was last rumored to be dating Leo Robinton, an LA-based businessman, so it seems that, for now, the American approach has won the actor over.