Emma Watson breaks silence on driving ban, linking it to movie-star lifestyle

Emma Watson has spoken about the driving ban, saying it reflects the realities of a life spent on a film schedule. The 35-year-old actress received a six-month driving ban in July after speeding 38 mph in a 30 mph zone in Oxford. She already had nine penalty points on her license before the offense.

Watson said the penalty points began accumulating after she became a student at Oxford University in 2023 and had to drive herself to shoots, after years when drivers ferried her to locations. She noted that studios often do not insure actors to drive themselves to work, and she described the shift from being chauffeured to driving herself as a jarring transition.

She said she went from driving only on weekends or holidays to driving every day as a student, acknowledging she lacked the experience and skills for such a change and recognizing that it would be a learning process.

Watson described the contrast between performing complex tasks on set—stunts, singing and dancing—and handling ordinary life tasks at home, such as remembering keys, money, or staying within the speed limit.

Since the disqualification, she has taken up cycling and said the hobby developed before the ban. She noted that cycling has become convenient given the ban.

She spoke about the moment the news broke, drawing attention from major outlets and saying the coverage underscored how the situation felt to her. She found some solace in messages from people who said they had similar experiences.

Watson has not acted in a film since December 2018, when she finished Greta Gerwig's Little Women adaptation; she rose to fame at age 10 portraying Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter film series.

Her cycling has become a practical component of daily life and a reminder of the imperfect transition from a highly scheduled acting career to ordinary life.