From Hermione To Belle: 20 Pics Of Emma Watson's Radical Transformation

Oh, Emma Watson. You see, Emma Watson and I are about the same age, and I've had a crush on her ever since I first saw Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. There's something about her that is genuine and different than many other Hollywood personalities...it's probably simply because she is genuine. That's a very unique thing in Hollywood.

Anyway, this article isn't about how much of a joke Hollywood is. It's all about the evolution of Emma Watson from the very first Harry Potter film through till the final installment, The Deathly Hallows: Part 2. She's had one hell of a transformation, that's for sure. I mean, when she started out with the series, she was only 11-years-old.

Now, she's only a couple years shy of 30, and I think it would be very interesting to look back at the little girl who brought life to Hermione Granger and made her the iconic nerd she is today...and then branched from that by the end of the film series to make Hermione Granger the most fantasized schoolgirl witch in the history of humankind.

In The Beginning

At the very outset of the Harry Potter series, Emma Watson was only 11-years-old. Considering how young she was, she was very good at being the most annoying, nerdy, and know-it-all character in the series. Maybe Draco Malfoy was more annoying, but Hermione was definitely all those other things.

It's not too often that you find very good child actors. Especially not ones who haven't been ruined very quickly by some kind of extra curricular activity. Either way, there was a subtly to Watson's work alongside the overbearing annoyance she brought to the character of Hermione. In spite of how annoying she could be, many boys found themselves crushing on Watson's Hermione Granger, I think because there was finally a very strong and independent actor playing that same sort of character for boys to fawn over.

She Was Cool Even Then

This is Emma Watson at the premiere of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Even then, she had an extravagant sense of fashion that didn't go too wild but was still unique enough to show just how different she was and is from the Hollywood crowd. Her dress even sort of reflects her character in that it looks like some sort of magical garment. And while I'd say she even looks like she's having fun, I don't know how you couldn't have fun when you're on top of the world at a premiere for a very successful film when you're only 11-years-old.

I'm pretty sure there would be few kids who wouldn't be cracking a big smile while waving for the cameras and fans. Either way, Watson was still a pretty different sort of Hollywood debutante right from the very start.

By the time that the second film was coming out, Emma Watson was 12-years-old and had actually changed a surprising amount. After all, those are the years of pretty quick change in kids.

There was a lot more in the way of promotional material for The Chamber of Secrets, simply because there was a ton of money off the coattails of the first film. That being said, the characters who were noted to be the most popular had a big media push. Not surprisingly (since she is one of the main characters), Hermione was given a big push. Not in an adult way, of course. That wouldn't happen until towards the end of the film series (obviously because of age). But playing the "innocent" card with Hermione Granger really kept those prepubescent boys interested in going out to see the next instalment of the wizard movie.

Molding An Image

I don't want to over-analyze exactly what was going on back in the day when the first Harry Potter films were coming out, but besides the fact that Emma Watson was only 12 at the time, it makes sense that the studio would push her out there to be the innocent, somewhat reserved, starlet of the franchise. It makes for great publicity because many girls want to be her and many boys want to have her. Especially at that age when hormones are starting to rage.

Either way, from the first film premiere to the second, there is already a huge transformation. Watson isn't as majestic in her outfit, but she does let her hair down over the white and pure dress she's got for the event. She's on her way to becoming a woman but has settled into the life of a Hollywood girl.

Angsty Teen

This shouldn't shock anyone. The wonderful thing about the Harry Potter books, at least for kids when the books came out, and then again for kids when the films came out, is that each and every new book or film aged the characters with the audience that was reading or watching.

So, those boys and girls who were kids looming into adolescence before the third film came out aged with Emma Watson and her costars and became teens at the same time. I can't imagine having to deal with so many kids with their raging hormones on set, but there it is. Becoming men and women, the young students of Hogwarts were transformed without the use of any spell. The development for Watson was probably most noticeable in her eyes by the third film. There was a greater depth that hadn't been there before.

Trying To Fit In

This photo of Emma Watson at the premiere of the third film Prisoner of Azkaban is very much a typical shot of a teenager who just wants to fit in. The thing is though that Watson was playing one of the misfits who only fit in within the context of her own little group of unwanted characters.

Everyone was scared of Harry (or hated him), no one liked that Ron because he was poor and they hated Hermione for being smarter and for being a mud-blood. Imagine acting that out and then trying to fit in when you step out into real life at the end of a shoot. I think that tense smile above says it all. She's just wanting to be one of the pretty girls who guys fawn over, but she also wants to be herself. I dare say she managed to easily have both.

Dolled Up

Watson really started coming into her own when it came to the fourth part of the Harry Potter series, The Goblet of Fire. Her character was going through the very same transformation as Watson herself was. They were both becoming women. Making that transition from child to an adult is tough though and that was heavily reflected in the fourth film.

Hermione gets all dolled up but ends up in tears because, in spite of how she looks, she still has to deal with how people are inside. That's not always a lesson someone learns, but I bet the making of these films really helped Emma Watson in her transformation from child to adult. She could see the different angles playing out in her character and could then choose what avenues she wanted to go down in her real life.

Interviews

Of course, she was still a teenager. There's no denying that. But there is something about this particular interview she did with LeakyNews that gave an insight into how she was growing up through the process of the film.

The way in which she spoke about the introduction of romance in the film, not to mention how incredibly well-spoken she was about the challenges that faced her in each and every new entry in the film series. She even directly talks about the transformation she goes through from frumpy nerd into the beautiful ballroom beauty. She also goes into detail about the very thing I've been talking about with regards to going through puberty and literally having that angle of transformation as well.

Becoming A Woman

By the time Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix made it to the big screen, Emma Watson was 17-years-old. Essentially, she was still obviously a teenager but had very much become a woman. Not the one we all know and love now, but she was well on her way to becoming that very person.

The transformation is clear not only in Watson herself but also in the character of Hermione. There was far less to do with the school-bound girl, always clad in her study robes and uniform. Now, there was a lot more of the plain-clothed character look that brought out this new sort of person; a character who was more worldly or was at least learning more about the world beyond Hogwarts and could easily adapt and work in that outside world.

Branching Out

Don't think that Emma Watson was just stuck with the Harry Potter series for over a decade. She also did quite a bit of other work on her downtime from the franchise. The above photo is a shoot from another film she was working on around the same time as Order of the Phoenix and you can tell that not only the character of Hermione had transformed beyond the walls of Hogwarts, but so to had Emma Watson.

She was breaking into modelling, finding other roles with more adult-related content...she truly was a woman at age 17 (that has much more to do with her growing up in the Hollywood spotlight than having a normal upbringing). This was around the time where the media really started to take notice and push the beautiful angle of Emma Watson.

Watson Is A Model Actor

Between shoots for the Harry Potter series, Watson definitely found her own way to keep work fresh and different. She branched out to other films and dug into modelling as well. And she took to it very easily. A lot of that has to do with genetics, of course, but she could really push a look for a photographer as well.

Leading up to the shooting of The Half-Blood Prince, Emma Watson was out and about in front of more than just the cameras of the crazed paparazzi. She was getting dolled up and doing shoots all over the place. Now 19-years-old, Watson had many more avenues opened up to her. She could promote herself in any fashion she chose because she was now legally a woman (at least in places that aren't as crazy as the U.S.) and had full control of how she promoted herself and her "brand".

The Grown-Up Witch

This was probably the big Harry Potter film where they really pushed the fact that Emma Watson was beautiful. She had grown into a beautiful and stunning woman throughout the course of the film franchise and now could officially be promoted in such a way that she could drag teenage boys into theatres just to gaze into her eyes and see her being a badass witch with a wand and a purpose. And I have to say that it worked.

I didn't see all the films in theatres, but I definitely crushed on Emma Watson the whole way through, and I think she is what really drove me out to see those films. Well, her and watching Alan Rickman being amazing. But mainly it was the growth of Watson and her counterparts. I know it's called Harry Potter, but I cared much less about him and much more about Hermione.

She Could Dazzle

Almost immediately after turning 19, Emma Watson was really pushing herself out there and it didn't have to do with finally being free to express herself. She always gave her opinion and always found a way to be herself. I just think this is when she found herself as a woman and began to see where she could push the boundaries in her exploration of becoming that woman.

She's dazzled us all in so many roles and photoshoots and interviews. She is a wonderful example of an independent woman in the industry who just doesn't take sh*t from people. And that's awesome. She's not as loud as Jennifer Lawrence, but she's certainly in agreement with much of what Lawrence stands for. She doesn't need to be a spokesperson. She just needs to be herself.

Intensely Good Actor

This is the darkest chapter of the Harry Potter franchise, for sure, and it is also one of the best because of that fact. The progression of the story from light, childhood magic and fun to dark, depraved and depressing story really hits home in this film and in the second part as well. And the gravity of that situation is brought home in all of the significant character deaths, as well as the character drama.

Now, Hermione doesn't die, but she carries the weight of all that has happened to her and her friends, for sure. Emma Watson pushes that character along brilliantly, and in a now very adult way. There is just something wonderful about seeing this transformation not only just to adult, but to adult who understands the darker things of the world.

Stunning

I don't care that Emma Watson didn't win any of the MTV Awards she was nominated for when The Deathly Hallows came out. She still looked stunning in an incredibly unique way. This was the time where Watson opted to go for the pixie cut. This is a hairstyle that she claimed she would still have to this day were it not for her acting career.

So I think we will be seeing that haircut again once Watson reaches the age of actors like Jamie Lee Curtis, or maybe she'll wait till she's of an age with Judi Dench? Either way, not only the hairdo, but the outfit as well transformed Watson into the ever-unique, and beautiful woman of Hollywood who stands out on her own and is able to feel proud in just that way. By the way, she was nominated for five MTV Awards between Deathly Hallows parts one and two.

Concerned For The Future

I imagine that there must have been at least a few moments when Emma Watson was at least a little worried that she wouldn't have the safety blanket of the Harry Potter series to fall back on if she didn't manage to land other gigs once she was cut loose from the shooting after The Deathly Hallows: Part 2.

Of course, there must have only been very few of those moments because Emma Watson has been in the business solidly ever since the Harry Potter films finished. Not all of her work is big time (like Beauty and the Beast) but it's all work that she's interested in doing. She also happens to enjoy life and learning about life. She's well-educated now, she's a big force in Hollywood, and she still manages to keep herself intact. That's a tall order for someone who has grown up in the film industry the way she did.

Blowing Kisses

That was one of her very uniquely decorated outfits for the MTV Awards ceremony. Again, this being in 2011, she didn't win any of the awards she was nominated for, but she was still put in for Best Female Performance, Best Fight, and Best Kiss. The following year she was put up for Best Kiss and Best Female Performance.

In that following year (2012) she did manage to clinch the award for Best On-Screen Duo but, of course, that wasn't her award alone. Though it's pretty clear that she was a very heavy-hitting part of achieving that award. What's amazing about Watson is that the way in which she's grown in the industry has allowed her to look beyond the awards in a way that many stars just can't. It's about the work for her. Not the glitz and glamour; not the paparazzi.

Growing The Hair Back

Once Watson finished up with Harry Potter, she started growing her hair back so that she could continue on with her acting career and not worry about having to use extensions of wigs, or being turned down at auditions for not having that "leading lady look".

That being said, while she was still growing her hair back out, her calendar was loaded up with photo shoots from all over the place. She had turned from the nerdy little know-it-all to the vivacious, vixen-like woman who could turn heads no matter where she went or what she wore. And about wardrobe, she may always still have an element of flash like that first Harry Potter premiere dress that she wore; always a little bit of magic, but she manages to do with an ever-evolving sense of herself.

Only A Year After The Final Harry Potter

Sure, she was still pretty young and she might not have fully known herself in the way that we would expect she does today but Watson was definitely savvy in the business and not in an underhanded sort of way. She may have faded from the spotlight while she went on to do other projects that interested her. But that's the important thing...she went out of her way to do projects that interested her. She didn't try to sneak her way to the next big Marvel movie. She's not necessarily looking for the next Oscar nomination (though she may very well begin to get those). She is simply a human being who loves acting and modelling and scuba diving and she will continue to pursue and do the things she loves.

I don't think she cares if she fades from the spotlight. She just understands her place as a person in this world. And that is a transformation more Hollywood people should go through.

Emma Watson Today

The photo speaks for itself, really. Emma Watson speaks for herself. She is perhaps one of the most "real" actors in Hollywood. At her age, that is an amazing feat. She is beautiful, intelligent, has an understanding of herself and where she wants her career to go...and she makes the things she wants happen. And she doesn't buy her way into those things either.

She doesn't come from the same kind of background a child star like Drew Barrymore came from. She has fashioned her own way, and while she may have been able to hack it at Oxford, she earned her money through her work (at least the money she spends now). Emma Watson basically transformed alongside Hermione to be that really cool outcast who people admire and love, and of whom people are jealous because she's just real.

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