Life After Hermione: Emma Watson

Welcome back, Potterheads! Last week, we discussed Daniel Radcliffe, and what he has been doing post-Potter. This week's spotlight is reserved for the beautiful Emma Watson, more famously known as Hermione Granger.

(Photo Courtesy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

Watson, now 25, had originally auditioned for the role of Hermione at the age of nine. The role of the muggle-born brainiac had caused Watson to become an international star; however, after the final Harry Potter movie finished filming in 2010 she didn't want to be considered "Hermione" anymore. Not out of hatred for the character she brought to life for an entire decade, but for the fact that she wanted people to take her seriously as a person and as an actress. So what does every girl do when they need something new in their life?

(Photo Courtesy of metro.co.uk)

Go get a haircut and change their look of course! Hair-mione is no more. Which is exactly what the Harry Potter actress wanted; she wanted to shed the child-star image of her Potter-days, and boy did she succeed. However, the succession that Watson received was not merely due to the fact that she chopped off her hair, there was so much more that made her into the woman that is so loved by her fans today.

(Photo Courtesy of FameFlynet.uk.com)

In 2011, Watson announced that she was going back to school. She was originally attending the prestigious Brown University in Rhode Island when she took a year off to finish the last two movies in the Harry Potter series. Committed, she returned to Brown (after studying at Oxford University for a semester) and graduated in 2014 with a Bachelor's Degree in English. There is something about an actor/actress who, despite the amount of money they make with their current career, still feel a need or a want to get that higher education, and it makes them highly respectable as a person. Watson has always been a role model for girls and women, but I think this made it even more clear that she is someone all little girls should look up to.

(Photo Courtesy of The Bling Ring)

The first movie to premiere of Watson's (post-Potter) was The Bling Ring directed by Sophia Coppola. Watson played Nicki, a fame-obsessed girl who contributes in the robbery of celebrities homes. This movie was based on true events about a group of teenagers who would use the Internet to track where celebrities were and would then rob their homes. I had watched this movie strictly because Watson was in it, there was honestly nothing else that attracted to this movie. I will also be the first to admit that I only finished the movie because of Watson. The movie just fell flat for me. Rotten Tomatoes even gave it a 6.3/10. It wasn't the worst movie I've ever seen, but it was just mediocre. It was, however, adorable to see Watson talking in an American accent and being a "bad girl."

(Photo Courtesy of The Perks of Being a Wallflower)

In 2012, Watson played Sam in The Perks of Being a Wallflower, based on the best-selling novel by Stephen Chebosky. Without giving any spoilers away, this book-turned-into-movie is a coming-of-age story about the harsh lessons that come with growing up. The movie as a whole is an incredible movie; but Watson's acting definitely helps. She even has a dance number in this film to Dexy's Midnight Runner's "Come On Eileen," and Ron Weasley and I both agree that it's wicked.

(Photo Courtesy of www.tumblr.com)

Watson even had a cameo in This is the End, an apocalyptic movie of comedic biblical proportions. I love sweet and smart Emma Watson as much as the next person, but you cannot tell me that an axe-wielding Emma Watson isn't everything you've ever dreamed of and more. I'll just leave this down below for reference:

(Photo Courtesy of http://imgur.com/r/reactiongifs/buUEpiZ)

While Watson has certainly made a name for herself outside of the Potter franchise, her biggest accomplishment thus far in her 25 years of living was becoming the UN Women Goodwill Ambassador in 2014.

(Photo Courtesy of www.unwomen.org)

The UN Women's website stated, "The accomplished actor, humanitarian and recent graduate of Brown University will dedicate her efforts towards the empowerment of young women and will serve as an advocate for UN Women’s HeForShe campaign in promoting gender equality." Her fight for gender equality is a beautiful one, and she is so passionate about what she believes in. What's more amazing about her fight, is that she isn't just doing this for women, but she wants gender equality for everyone. "I am reaching out to you because I need your help. We want to end gender inequality—and to do that we need everyone to be involved," Watson said in her speech at a HeForShe Campaign in 2014. See her full speech below:

(Courtesy of HeForShe)

To learn more about Watson's HeForShe Campaign, please check out www.unwomen-usnc.org.

Emma Watson has truly made a name for herself whether it's protesting for the rights of house-elves, axe-wielding, breaking out in a dance number or changing the way the world looks at gender inequality. Miss Watson has made such an incredible impact on the world no matter what she does, and I feel like a proud sister watching someone I've loved so dearly since I was a young girl grow up to be such an incredible woman. Thank you, Emma Watson for being you.

Don't forget to apparate back here next week to hear about what the incredible Rupert Grint has been up to since his Ronald Weasley days. If you don't know what apparate means, you're more than likely a muggle and you may just surf the internet to get back here to my magical page!