It’s been a long, long time since we’ve seen Emma Watson on the big screen, unless that is you’ve got a particularly large telly at home, and you stick one of her movies on, of course. But either way, she hasn’t made a major film in seven years, and in that time Emma Stone has made seven and won three Oscar nominations.
Am I linking them simply because they both happen to be called Emma and they’re both actors? Tough to say (I am), but it does go to show how quickly careers can move on and how someone like Stone can become known as one of the greatest actors of her generation, while Watson has decided to step away from it all for some well-earned ‘me time’.
But then Stone didn’t have the kind of upbringing that Watson did, as a child star who basically grew up from a kid to an adult in full view of the watching world, and who honed her acting across eight blockbuster movies between 2001 and 2011, thanks to the Harry Potter franchise. I’ve said it before, but people simply do not give her enough credit for just how good her performances were as Hermione by the end of that series.
By the time the last two movies came around with the two-part Deathly Hallows, Watson was undeniably one of the standouts, even in such esteemed company as Alan Rickman and Maggie Smith, giving emotional, powerful performances that helped make those later films so highly regarded.
It was always going to be a bit of a struggle to follow ten years of Harry Potter, and to escape the shadow of those characters; you could argue that none of the younger cast members has really managed it, with the possible exception of Daniel Radcliffe. But Watson did manage to book a lot of big roles at least, especially Noah with Russell Crowe and then Disney’s blockbuster Beauty and the Beast in 2017.
However, in 2019, after the period drama Little Women, Greta Gerwig’s six-time Oscar-nominated hit, Watson decided to go off and do other things for a while, a hiatus that still seems to have some way to go.
In an interview featured by Hollywood Authentic late last year, she talked about those other things, launching a brand, doing a degree, playing a lot of sports, but also how she listens to a huge amount of music, including the work of a female artist who saw her career explode just as Watson stepped back from the limelight.
Asked about her love of listening to songs on repeat, Watson gushed, “I’m so glad that you know this about me. It’s lovable or absolutely abhorrent. I’m not sure which one. I’m listening to Brandi Carlile, who wrote this freaking unbelievable song called ‘You Without Me’ that she wrote for her daughter. It gives me chills every time I listen to it. So that’s the song today that I’ve been playing while I’ve been working on my essay. I’m coming on to the 11th or 12th listen.”
The song is taken from last year’s collaboration between Carlile and Elton John titled Who Believes in Angels, which went straight in at number one on the UK album charts. It has recently seen another surge in popularity thanks to being featured in the finale of the Apple TV comedy Shrinking, starring Harrison Ford.
Unexpected Team-Up: Prince William and Emma Watson Unite for Change
Prince William had plenty to celebrate this weekend, but his latest public appearance quickly turned heads for a very different reason. After marking his 44th birthday and Father's Day with his family, the future king returned to royal duties—and made a surprisingly personal confession about the emotional toll of climate change.
William joined Hollywood stars Emma Watson and Benedict Cumberbatch at a United for Wildlife forum in London, an initiative he launched with the Royal Foundation in 2013. The organization works around the world to combat wildlife trafficking, environmental crime, and the destruction of endangered species.
But it was William's candid admission about his own fears that stole the spotlight.
The Prince of Wales revealed that climate change has caused him "sleepless nights," admitting he has struggled with anxiety about what the future could look like. Yet instead of allowing those fears to overwhelm him, William said seeing real progress through conservation efforts has helped keep his environmental anxiety under control.
He also delivered a powerful message to business leaders, urging them to become the kind of leaders they admired when they were children. With technology and innovation transforming the world at an incredible pace, William challenged CEOs to use their influence to create meaningful change.
The event launched London Climate Action Week, with more royal appearances expected, including the Earthshot Prize assembly.
Emma Watson also delivered a surprising revelation of her own. The Harry Potter star highlighted the fashion industry's enormous environmental impact, pointing out that it produces more emissions than aviation and ranks behind only oil among major polluting industries.
Watson, who is also pursuing a doctorate in philosophy at Oxford, shared a hilarious story about mistakenly believing paparazzi were following her. After spotting photographers with telephoto lenses, she arranged a distraction and escaped through another exit. The twist? They weren't photographing her at all. They were waiting to capture a red kite.
Meanwhile, Benedict Cumberbatch praised William as "a great guy" and urged businesses and individuals to recognize that they can still make a difference, even when global environmental challenges appear overwhelming.
With William, Watson, and Cumberbatch joining forces on the issue, the London forum delivered a clear message: the fight against environmental destruction is becoming impossible for the world's biggest names to ignore.
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