Emma Watson says Hollywood 'broke me' after years in Harry Potter community
In a recent podcast, the actor discusses the emotional toll of fame from the HP era, the challenges of promotion, and why she stepped back from acting after 2019.
Emma Watson says Hollywood 'broke me' after years in the Harry Potter community, describing the experience on the On Purpose podcast hosted by Jay Shetty. The 35-year-old actress reflected on filming the eight-film franchise over more than a decade, saying the experience created a close-knit world that set expectations she carried into later jobs. 'It’s so unusual to make a set of films for 12 years,' she said. 'We were a community, we really were. So I took that as an expectation into my other workplaces, and I got my a-- kicked. I really did.' She recalled that moving from HP to other productions was bone-breakingly painful and that most people on different sets did not enter those environments seeking friendships. 'I’m just not thick-skinned,' she added, noting that she may not have been built for the most competitive environments and that the experience broke her emotionally.
Watson said she loves acting but dislikes promoting films. In a recent interview with People, she described parts of the job she couldn’t reconcile with, saying there were moments when the promotion felt misaligned with the art itself. 'A bigger component than the actual job itself is the promotion and selling of that piece of work, this piece of art,' she told the outlet. 'The balance of that can get quite thrown off. I’ll be honest and straightforward, and say: I do not miss selling things. I found that to be quite soul-destroying.' After the Harry Potter era ended, Watson led roles in Beauty and the Beast (2017) and The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012), but chose to step away from acting after the 2019 adaptation of Little Women.
During the height of her HP fame, she found the promotion cycle demanding. 'The bigger component than the actual job itself is the promotion and selling of that piece of work, this piece of art,' she repeated in discussions tied to her broader career choices. The experience of growing up in the spotlight also shaped her outlook on the craft and its costs. She has repeatedly acknowledged the luck of landing acting roles, while noting that fame and the mechanics of promotion can be soul-destroying for someone who values humanity in the process. The 2019 departure from full-time acting marked a shift toward selective projects and other ventures.
The conversation touched on the emotional and professional adjustments required after leaving a franchise that defined a generation of fans. On the Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts special on HBO Max, Watson’s co-star Rupert Grint revealed that the actress had considered leaving the film series after filming the fourth installment. Watson later told Grint that she believed she was scared by the rapid, permanent fame that followed. The three leads—Radcliffe, Watson and Grint—shared screen time in all eight films, with the stories of their lives unfolding in parallel as the franchise evolved. 'I think I was scared,' Watson told Grint about the moment of sudden immortality in the public eye. The exchange underscored the real human impact behind the fame that followed the early-2000s blockbuster.
Watson’s reflections come as a broader industry conversation continues about how child stars navigate rapid transitions to adulthood and the toll of relentless promotion. The actor has since pursued projects that align with her values and has discussed balancing artistry with the realities of a promotion-driven industry. Her willingness to discuss these pressures offers a rare, candid look at the personal cost of a career built on one of the world’s most beloved film franchises.
In the closing chapters of her discussion, Watson reaffirmed that while she loves acting, she remains wary of the promotional machine surrounding it. She emphasized a desire to protect her humanity and approach work with a sense of purpose rather than mere exposure. As she continues to navigate choices beyond the Potter universe, her comments invite renewed attention to the human side of stardom and the ongoing conversation about healthier work environments in Hollywood.
