Emma Watson’s dating preferences might disappoint some Harry Potter fans.
The actress, who was nine years old when she was first cast as Hermione Granger in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in 1999, opened up about her dating struggles as a public figure.
The 35-year-old shared that she feels more comfortable to date those people who don't recognise her or haven’t familiar with her filmography, which majorly includes Harry Potter films, because it allows her to be true to herself.
“It does feel like my avatar enters the room unexpectedly,” she said, explaining how interactions shift the moment someone realises she’s famous. "All of a sudden, I’m navigating a completely different conversation."
That sudden change, the English actress said, can feel "really dehumanizing" and jarring. It's why she finds relief in dating people who are unaware of her celebrity status as they engage with her as a person, not as a star.
"It's funny, occasionally people will apologize to me for the fact they've not seen my films. And I will be like, 'Please don't apologize. That is bliss to me.' Like, music to my ears that you're not going to constantly be navigating it," Watson told Jay Shetty on his On Purpose podcast.
"That's happened a few times, where people have been like, 'I'm really sorry.' I'm like, 'Please don't apologize. I'm so relieved! I'm so incredibly relieved,'" she recalled.
Her acting career spans all eight Harry Potter films, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Bling Ring, and Beauty and the Beast.
Watson's last big-screen role was six years ago in Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of Little Women.
Since then, she has decided to lay low, largely because she considered the act of promoting her movies "soul-destroying."