Why Emma Watson almost left the 'Harry Potter' movies: How immediate fame affected the young star

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Emma Watson on playing her childhood heroes

Live-action remake of Disney's 1991 animated film 'Beauty and the Beast' brings the beloved characters to life

It's impossible to think of Hermione Granger without thinking of Emma Watson who played the role for a decade. Fans watched the British actress grace the screen as one of Harry Potter's best friends in the film series based on the books by J.K. Rowling for eight films. But Watson nearly left the franchise after the fourth film, "Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire." In 2022, a "Harry Potter" reunion special came out called "Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts," where the cast discussed their experiences filming the beloved movies. 

During the reunion special, Rupert Grint, who played Ron Weasley, said to Watson: "You were considering pulling out. I've never really spoken to you about that." Watson responded saying "I think I was scared. I don't know if you ever felt like it got to a tipping point where you were like, this is kind of forever now." She expressed the loneliness she sometimes felt during that time in her life and also spoke about the intense fame that hit her and the rest of the stars. Luckily, Watson continued to play Hermione for the remainder of the "Harry Potter" films. 

Who is Emma Watson dating? 

Watson is dating a businessman from Los Angeles, California named Leo Robinton. The pair were first linked at the end of 2019 when pictures started to surface of the two.

Watson addressed rumors that she was engaged to Robinton in May 2021. "Dear Fans, Rumours about whether I’m engaged or not, or whether my career is ‘dormant or not’ are ways to create clicks each time they are revealed to be true or untrue," she tweeted at the time. "If I have news - I promise I’ll share it with you."

Emma Watson is currently dating Leo Robinton and has been linked to others in the past. She has also talked about her love for her "Harry Potter" costar Tom Felton, although she said in the "Harry Potter" reunion that nothing romantic ever happened between them.  ( Paul Bruinooge/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

EMMA WATSON, EMMA ROBERTS BREAK SILENCE ON ‘HARRY POTTER' REUNION SPECIAL MIXUP 

Watson in the past has been linked to Francis Boulle, Jay Barrymore, Rafael Cebrián, George Craig, Johnny Simmons, Will Adamowicz, Matthew Janney, Prince Harry, Roberto Aguire, William Knight, Chord Overstreet and Brendan Wallace. Watson has also talked about her close relationship and love for Tom Felton, who played Draco Malfoy in "Harry Potter," while they were filming the series, although she said during the reunion that nothing romantic every happened between them.

Who is the richest "Harry Potter" actor? 

Although all the "Harry Potter" stars made millions of dollars off of the films, the leading man, Daniel Radcliffe made the most money from the films and has the highest net worth today. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Radcliffe has a total net worth of $110 million and a lot of that comes from the "Harry Potter" films. The website reports that he made more money with the release of each film, starting out making $1 million for the first movie and making a combined $50 million from the last two movies. They also reported that he made at least $100 million from all the "Harry Potter" movies.

Emma Watson starred in the "Harry Potter" movies with Tom Felton, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Matthew Lewis and others.  (Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage)

EMMA WATSON, EMMA ROBERTS BREAK SILENCE ON 'HARRY POTTER' REUNION SPECIAL MIXUP

What movies is Emma Watson in?

Watson is widely known for playing one of the main characters in the "Harry Potter" movies, Hermione Granger. Watson went through eight rounds of auditions before she was told she got the part and was just 10-years-old during the filming of the first film. The movies were a smashing success with the last movie in the franchise bringing in more than $1 billion at the box office. 

After her run as Hermione, Watson continued to act in other movies including "My Week with Marilyn," "The Perks of Being a Wallflower," "The Bling Ring," "This is the End," "Noah," "Colonia" and "Regression." In 2017, Watson played Belle in the live action movie "Beauty and the Beast." She was also in "The Circle" that same year and was in "Little Women" in 2019. 

While pursuing her acting career, Watson always put an importance on her education and attended Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island in 2009. She graduated in 2014 with a bachelor's degree in English literature.