Emma Watson Felt She ‘Didn’t Know How to Act’ in the Last 2 ‘Harry Potter’ Movies

Emma Watson wasn’t always sure that she wanted to be an actor. However, she knew with 100% certainty that she was destined to play Hermione Granger. She’d always felt an affinity with the astute witch and was eager to bring her to life. But when Watson signed on to play Hermione, she had no idea about the full arc of her character within the eight Harry Potter movies.

Only four ‘Harry Potter’ books were out when Emma Watson joined the cast

Watson would spend a decade of her life portraying the brightest witch of the age. However, when she initially joined the cast, she only signed up for the first two Harry Potter movies. When the Little Women actor first started filming her role in September 2000, only four of the eponymous books had been released. Thus, Watson had no idea how Harry’s epic saga would end.

The ‘Harry Potter’ movies got darker over time

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire certainly marked a turning point in the series. The climax of the film sees Lord Voldermort return to his full power. However, things would get much darker from there in the books and film adaptations. This meant that Watson and her fellow castmates were tasked with doing more intense acting with each passing film.

The final two Harry Potter movies were particularly challenging for Watson. Her character had to cope with being tortured, watching allies die, fully realizing she was in love with Ron, being on the run, saying goodbye to loved ones, and more. It was certainly a lot for Watson to take on, and some days she even questioned if she was up to snuff. In an interview with JoBlo, the Noah actor recalled expressing her concerns to director, David Yates.

Watson questioned her acting abilities while filming the last two ‘Harry Potter’ movies

“There are days when I just panicked, I mean really just… ‘David, I don’t know how to do this!’” Watson admitted. “I didn’t know how to act… I’ve never been tortured before, I have no idea how to pull that off. I have no idea what it feels like to see your friend bleeding to death in your arms. There was some really hard stuff to do, like what it’s like to erase your parents’ memories and walk out the door.”

While the subject matter in the final two Harry Potter movies was challenging, Watson eventually figured out her way into the intense material. She admits that she really found a method that worked for her while filming the final movie. One could say that she approached the material the way most Ravenclaws would.

The ‘This Is the End’ star eventually found an acting method that worked for her

“I think for me, I have quite an academic, like a heady approach I guess, to the way that I act, and us just talking through what it meant, what does it mean for her?” Watson shared about her acting method. “How does it relate to her past? What does she think about this? Having the time to be very clear in my head about what exactly everything was allowed me to give a really good performance.”

Clearly, Watson felt she was able to find her stride even in the midst of challenging material. We’d be curious to learn if her acting approach is still the same today as it was when she was filming the final Harry Potter movies.