As a proud feminist, college graduate, and successful actress, Emma Watson seems to have her life all figured out. When she’s not inspiring us to stand up for our rights and the rights of others, she’s busy giving powerful speeches or starting book clubs. However, in a recent interview for the winter issue of Porter Magazine, Emma explained that her life wasn’t always so seemingly perfect. In the magazine, Emma opened up about the struggles she faced as a child actress, after skyrocketing to fame at 9 years old.
Growing up is difficult enough, but having to do so while under public scrutiny is even more frustrating. “As a young person, that feeling of not being comfortable in my own skin was exacerbated by the microscope I was under,” Emma admitted. Constantly being hounded with questions such as “What do you think of this?” and “Who are you?” added to her feelings of uneasiness. Moreover, while girls her age seemed to have a clear idea of who they were, Emma said she struggled with her own identity. “I envied those girls because I was so unsure of myself. I questioned everything,” she admitted. Eventually, her feelings of uncertainty and inadequacy led Emma to close herself off at red carpet events in order to cope. “I was terrified by the level of interest in me. I spent most of my time trying to convince everyone I was incredibly boring because I needed privacy and a minute to figure myself out,” Emma explained.
Like all collegiettes, Emma also had her fair share of difficulties while studying at Brown University. Although she admitted to feeling lonely at times, the benefits of her decision largely outweighed such disadvantages. “There were times when it felt very lonely, moving to the other side of the world, to where I had no support, when I was on the side of buses everywhere,” she shared. “But I’m so glad I did, it was the best thing I could have done, putting myself in that furnace. It gave me this place of refuge, this space I could negotiate for myself, and time to figure out who I was.”
Growing up as a child in the spotlight wasn’t easy, but Emma’s experiences helped to shape her into the inspiring, intelligent and insightful woman that she is today. “Now at 25, for the first time in my life I feel like I have a sense of self that I’m comfortable with,” she said.