Period drama with 95% on Rotten Tomatoes ranks as the best post-Wizarding World film for a young Harry Potter cast member

While the Harry Potter franchise spawned numerous blockbuster careers, one period drama from 2019 is still the best thing that any of its young stars have done since. The Harry Potter movies brought their stars into fame at a young age, making Rupert Grint, Daniel Radcliffe, and Emma Watson household names before the actors had even entered their teens. The best movies that Harry Potter cast members have made since the series ended are proof that they had talent to spare, but not all of their ambitious projects have paid off in the 13 years since 2011.

Radcliffe has used his considerable star power to elevate numerous ambitious, offbeat projects. The star appeared in the critically acclaimed Swiss Army Man, Horns, Kill You Darlings, and The Woman in Black, as well as cropping up in mainstream blockbusters like Playmobil: The Movie and The Lost City. Grint, meanwhile, has played smaller roles in TV shows like Servant and Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities, as well as appearing in 2023’s Knock at the Cabin. However, one actor from the series stands out as its biggest breakout star thanks to numerous blockbuster hits and some critically adored movies.

Emma Watson’s Little Women Is The Best Movie Any Member Of Harry Potter’s Young Cast Has Been In Since The Deathly Hallows Part 2

Greta Gerwig’s Period Drama Is A Well-Cast Adaptation

When it comes to blending big-budget blockbusters and more interesting indie projects, Emma Watson’s career is the most illustrious one to come from the young cast of the Harry Potter movies. Emma Watson’s best movies prove the actor has a diverse taste in roles, from the satirical real-life dramedy The Bling Ring to the coming-of-age drama The Perks of Being A Wallflower, to director Darren Aronofsky’s divisive biblical epic Noah. Although 2017’s live-action Beauty and the Beast remake is her biggest financial success, 2019’s Little Women is Emma Watson’s best movie since the Harry Potter

series ended.

The starry 2019 adaptation may not be as successful as the 1994 adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s novel, but that is a high bar for any movie to clear. Gerwig brings warmth, humor, and verve to Little Women, and an ensemble cast including Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen, Laura Dern, Timothee Chalamet, Meryl Streep, James Norton, and Bob Odenkirk ensures that the adaptation isn’t short of star power. Little Women is one of Saoirse Ronan’s best movies, but Watson’s role as Meg is also central to the adaptation’s success. Mercifully, Gerwig doesn’t shortchange any of the novel’s heroines.

Emma Watson Remains The Biggest Breakout Star From The Harry Potter Movies

Watson’s Post-Potter Blockbuster Career Outdid Her Those of Her Co-stars

While Grint laid low for a few years and Radcliffe sought out stranger projects, Emma Watson became the biggest breakout star of the Harry Potter movies by a considerable margin. Although many of Radcliffe’s riskier roles won him critical acclaim, few of his post-Harry Potter movies even came close to Beauty and the Beast’s $1.2 billion box office. Similarly, Watson’s cameo role in This Is The End proved that she still had a sense of humor, something Radcliffe’s best roles accentuated. By balancing serious dramas like Little Women with bigger blockbuster fare, Emma Watson became the breakout star of the Harry Potter movies.

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.