Emma Watson is one of the most well-recognized and talented actresses in Hollywood. Having made a name for herself through her work as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter franchise, she has established herself as a truly talented and exceptional actress. There is no doubt that this role is perhaps one of the most iconic characters in the entire franchise, being part of the golden trio, alongside Daniel Radcliffe’s Harry Potter and Rupert Grint’s Ron Weasley, Watson’s character won the hearts of the audiences from the moment she first appeared on screen.
With this, it is quite difficult to imagine someone else playing this character, being the perfect fit for the role, and impressing the casting agents from the moment she stepped into the screening room. What many might not know, however, is that Watson thought that she would lose this role to another actress when she initially auditioned.
Emma Watson Thought That She Had No Chance To Bag Harry Potter
When Emma Watson was initially auditioning for the role of Hermione Granger in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, the actress had quite a lot of competition, considering the fact that the book series was incredibly popular at the time. It is only natural there were many different types of people auditioning for this role, including seemly unknown actresses, as well as girls who had already started their acting career.
The casting director recalled, “There was another little girl that we tested who had just done I think ‘Madeline.’ She had done a big movie, and she was quite Hermione-ish, so I think Emma saw her at the auditions and went, ‘Oh, well, I got no chance. There’s her.’”
A casting director responsible for the casting for the film revealed that amongst these was a girl who had, at the time, been part of a very big project before the audition named ‘Madeline’. This actress seemed to fit the role quite well, so when Watson first saw her, she was immediately convinced that she would have no shot to be part of the movie.
Emma Watson Had Nothing To Worry About
This, however, did not seem to be the case for two primary reasons. The first is the fact that Hermione Granger’s character needs to be a little annoying, not so much that the audiences find it difficult to tolerate her, but just enough that they could grow to love her. ‘Madeline’ did not have this trait, as her portrayal of the character could very quickly become quite insufferable and irritating. This was not the case for Emma Watson as the more you spend time with her, the more you grow to love her as a person.
“The character needed to be towards the annoying side at times, but not too annoying, so the other one we said, after a while she’s going to be annoying. But with Emma, after a while you’re going to love her all the more. One of the producers said, ‘Can I have her under contract until she’s 21?’ All of us were just, ‘Oh my God. A star is born.’”
The second reason why Emma Watson had an amazing shot of getting the role was the fact that the casting agents fell in love with her portrayal of the character from the moment they saw it, with everyone in the screening room collectively gasping at her performance. The casting director went on to say that they knew that Watson was going to be a big star from the start, with someone actually saying that they would like to sign with her till she was the age of 21.
Source: Huff Post
