Emma Watson is speaking candidly about her complicated relationship with Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling.
The actress, who famously brought Hermione Granger to life across all eight Harry Potter films from 2001 to 2011, has distanced herself from Rowling due to the author’s controversial views on transgender issues. In 2020, after Rowling posted a series of tweets and a 3,600-word essay widely criticized as transphobic, Watson issued a statement supporting the transgender community: “Trans people are who they say they are and deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned or told they aren’t who they say they are.”
On a Sept. 24, 2025 episode of the “On Purpose With Jay Shetty” podcast, Watson addressed Rowling’s comments that she would “never forgive” the actress for her views and that Watson, along with several Harry Potter co-stars, now “ruin” the movies for her.
“I really don’t believe that by having had that experience and holding the love and support and views that I have, mean that I can’t and don’t treasure Jo and the person that I, that I had personal experiences with,” Watson said. “I will never believe that one negates the other and that my experience of that person, I don’t get to keep and cherish… I just don’t think these things are either or. I think it’s my deepest wish that I, I hope people who don’t agree with my opinion will love me and I hope I can keep loving people who I don’t necessarily share the same opinion with.”
Watson added that what upsets her most is that a conversation between them “was never made possible.” When Shetty asked if she remained open to dialogue with Rowling, she confirmed, “Yeah, and I always will. I believe in that. I believe in that completely.”
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While much of the focus has been on her connection to Rowling, Watson has also reflected on her seven-year hiatus from acting. In an interview with Hollywood Authentic, she admitted she misses the craft but feels “maybe the happiest and healthiest [she’s] ever been” because of the break.
“The bigger component than the actual job itself is the promotion and selling of that piece of work, this piece of art. The balance of that can get quite thrown off,” Watson explained. “I think I’ll be honest and straight-forward, and say: I do not miss selling things. I found that to be quite soul-destroying. But I do very much miss using my skill-set, and I very much miss the art. I just found I got to do so little of the bit that I actually enjoyed.”
