RIP Hermione, long live Emma Watson! We chat to the superstar about fashion, film and *gulp* life after ‘Potter’ …

As she failed to hold back tears at July’s premiere of ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2′, the final instalment of a franchise that transformed her life, Emma Watson had come of age. Dressed in a silver-grey Oscar de la Renta gown, the awkward girl who first walked the red carpet aged 11, now 21, finally bid farewell to Hermione and said, “Hello, Hollywood A-List!” While wearing couture, naturally.

She’s elfin, poised and a natural beauty in a very English way. No wonder, then, that she was appointed the face of Burberry in 2009, succeeding Kate Moss and Agyness Deyn. Plus, this year, she was named brand ambassador for Lancôme.

A style icon and Hollywood superstar, but how does Emma feel about life after ‘Potter’? Company sat down to find out…

It’s finally bye-bye, Hermione. So what’s up next for Emma?
Everything’s up for grabs, really. I’m excited and nervous.

How similar are you to Hermione?
I probably started out more like her and got less like her. Like her, I think with my head – and I’m intellectual, so we’re similar in that way. We’re also very eager to please, have a need for approval and are not the kind of people who want to break the rules. Overall, I think I’m more of a rounded person than she is. She’s very focused on her studies but I think I’m more creative.…

Emma Watson graced the cover of ELLEgirl’s December/January issue. Below is a peek at the interview with Emma on stardom, her favorites, and just who she really is…

With four super-hit Harry Potter movies under her belt and a fifth filming now, Emma Watson, also known as Hermione Granger, is quickly becoming a seasoned actress with an admirable level of persistence and dedication. All the fame has hardly gone to her head, and despite being young she is mature and well spoken. Emma tells us she prizes individuality and comfort over all the Hollywood glitz and glamour.

On acting: “My grandma has evidence that from the age of three I wanted to act. I said ‘Number one, I want to be a fairy; number two, a princess; and number three, an actress.’ So, it did rate lowest, but my first two were kind of unrealistic.”

On Hermione: “I’ve been denying that I’m anything like her, but I’ve come to terms with the fact that we’re really quite similar. As the film goes on, the comparison is a big compliment. She stands for girl power; she won’t let anyone mess her around; she’s got two guys for best friends, but still holds her own. I love that she’s intelligent and proud of that fact; she’s determined; she never gives up; she’s loyal; she stands up for her friends. I think she’s kickass.”

On style: “Just be comfortable in what you’re wearing. Dress for who you are, and how old you are—don’t try to be anything else.…

Will you ever look at actress Emma Watson and not see Hermione Granger? Someday. But right now, Emma is all abut playing Harry Potter’s super-smart sidekick.

It’s said that behind every great man is a great woman. Sounds like a compliment, except for one little detail: Women are not always behind men. Lots of times, the girl is ahead the guy, paving the way for his heroism and big muscles with her intuition and big brains. If you’re Hermione Granger, it’s also with big hair.

With her fourth movie Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire about to hit theaters worldwide, Emma Watson mindfully reinforces Hermione as a strong, smart female character for all girls to admire. “I’ve been denying that I’m like her for ages, but I think now she’s a really great role model. It’s nice to be compared to her,” says Emma. “We do share some attributes, like I love school, I work hard, and I’m a feminist–I’m very pro girl!” It’s obvious Emma understands the importance of Hermione’s place in the Harry Potter history … probably because it’s her history, too.

The Oxford-born Emma was only 9 when she became Hermione. She’s nearly 16 now and, like the character she plays, is a studious intellectual with hyper-driven ambition. “The vast majority of the auditions were them asking me questions about myself,” Emma says. “Then they started having me read, and I think the lines I was given were where I was talking to Harry about not going after Sirius Black.…

HARRY POTTER star EMMA WATSON is dreading the possibility of another actress replacing her in the magical movie saga, because she has formed an emotional attachment to her character.

Watson has played HERMIONE GRANGER in all four Potter movies to date and will also appear in the next installment, HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX.

However, the 15-year-old accepts she may soon be too old to star as Granger in the final two Potter films, numbers six and seven in the franchise.

She says, “I know if anyone else were to play Hermione, I would not be able to deal with that. It would kill me. I’m hugely close to her.”

And Watson admits she would only sign up to star in the forthcoming Potter sequels if she truly believed she could devote herself to the movies. She explains, “An 11 month film is huge. You work adult hours. So I think I would never want to do it if I felt that I wasn’t going to give it 100 per cent.

“So I’m not really thinking about the future. I just take it one film at a time, because otherwise I get a little bit overwhelmed.”

Source: FemaleFirst.co.uk…

Emma Watson plays Hermione Granger in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Newsround chatted with her to find out the gossip from behind the scenes…

You can also watch our interview with Emma in full by clicking on the Newsround Player link on the right and selecting Potter.

This was a very different film to make, it’s much more intense and dark, how was that to work on?
It was nice actually, I think every film probably gets a bit darker, a bit scarier and evolves. I liked the challenge, it was really good.

And of course one of the big challenges on this film was learning to dance. What was that like?
Waltzing is unlike any other dance, it’s actually really difficult. I was surprised at how hard I found it. But hopefully it pays off and it looks good in the films.

Did you have weeks and weeks of lessons to get you to get you up to Strictly Come Dancing standard?
I’m not quite that good yet, but we had quite few practices together and it was really good fun because all the cast was involved in that, which was nice.

We’ve had hints about Ron and Hermione in the past, and this time Viktor comes along, what was that like?
I thought the introduction of romance in what is a much darker film and this kind of awkwardness between boys and girls makes up for quite a lot of of the humour. I think it’s great.…

Actress Emma Watson is one of the most famous people on the planet. Her movies are some of the highest-grossing of all time, her model looks mean she’s gracing the cover of glossy magazines and she’s still only 15 years old.

The young star has already packed more into the last few years than most people do in a lifetime and it’s thanks to her magical alter-ego Hermione Granger, in the phenomenally successful Harry Potter films.

But though she’s back as Hermione for the fourth installment, Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire, the canny actress says she has no intention of just being known for the one role.

“My biggest fear is getting stereotyped,” admits the level-headed young star.

“I want to do other things. One of the amazing things that has come out of this is that I have so many options. There’s so many scripts and they are fantastic. I think I would like to do something different, maybe something smaller,” she adds simply.

Emma, who was born and still lives in Oxfordshire, is rumoured to have already landed her first film role away from the Potter movies in a pirate adventure called Airborn. However, Potter fans needn’t worry that she’s turned her back on everyone’s favourite little witch. Emma admits she’d like to appear in all seven of the films and says she’s grown deeply attached to Hermione.

“I’m so close to her that I feel that I don’t have to act anymore,” she says. “I’m very fond of Hermione’s character and she’s turned into someone that a lot of people can identify with.…

Emma Watson has big plans for her time off from filming Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. While filming for Prisoner of Azkaban is complete, she is currently working on Goblet of Fire, which will be released in 2005.

“I’m going skiing and I haven’t gone skiing so I’m really looking forward to that, and I’m hoping that goes well!”

Marie Morreale, our Entertainment Editor, was able to talk to Emma about that and many other things. Check out the interview to find out what she had to say.

What is your favorite part of the new movie?
This is actually my favorite book. There’s a great scene where I punch Malfoy, which is really good fun. It’s good.

How does Malfoy react?
How does he react? He runs away! Woo hoo! Girl power!

This summer there’s going to be some really great movies coming out. Do you have any film that you most want to see this summer?
I absolutely love Shrek. I don’t know what it is; he makes me laugh so much. I’m really looking forward to Shrek 2, and obviously Troy with Brad Pitt, in a skirt.

One of our magazines in London is asking about your GCSE’s. Are you studying for them yet?
Um, sort of. This is my foundation year and then next year I start my coursework.

So what do you do when you start your coursework? Are there specific classes for their exams?
Yes.…

Hermione and Ron move to the fore in the third ‘Harry Potter’ film, ready to make magic.

Leavesden Studios, England — It’s been almost three years since J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” characters moved beyond the literary phenomenon and became part of a hugely successful movie franchise. In that time, the primary image associated with the films has been Daniel Radcliffe, playing the wholesome teen wizard Harry, with his trademark round glasses and his perpetual expression of faint surprise.

Well, things are about to change. Now it’s time for Harry’s sidekicks to grab a piece of the action. The third film in the series, “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” (it opens June 4), spreads the story much more evenly among Harry and his Hogwarts school pals Hermione Granger, played by Emma Watson, and Ron Weasley, portrayed by Rupert Grint.

Alfonso Cuaron, the Mexican director of “Prisoner of Azkaban” (he succeeded Chris Columbus, who directed the first two), notes: “Ron and Hermione are companions in adventure in this film, and they effectively drive the third act. It’s pretty amazing to see.”

There’s no question Watson is pleased with her contribution to “Prison of Azkaban,” even before she has seen it. She strolls into a room near the production offices, sits upright on a sofa with three embroidered cushions with a likeness of Harry Potter and an owl, and starts chatting.

“The third book is definitely my favorite, and it’s a good script for Hermione,” she says. “She has some great scenes.” There’s a split second in the trailer for the new film when Watson as Hermione apparently punches someone, then says: “That felt good!” And did it?…

Tribute’s Bonnie Laufer talks to Emma Watson about bringing Hermione Granger back to life in Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets.

There must have been a comfort level going into the second film but, aside from that, what was the biggest difference for you between the two movies?
Just the fact that I kind of knew what I was doing because the first one was my first feature film. The second one I knew what I was doing and I knew the cast and crew so that made it more comfortable, which made me a lot more confident.

How have you evolved since making the films?
I think I’ve learned a lot.

Your character, Hermione, has changed since the first film, too. Tell me about the differences in her.
She’s matured a lot. It was my first feature film and it was her first year at Hogwarts. Now she’s kind of settled down a bit, she’s not as obsessed about all of the schoolwork as much. It’s all good for her.

Now tell me about the relationship between you and Daniel and Rupert. Not only are you all friendlier in the movie, but also offscreen the relationship seems quite the same.
We all had a really good time together and we are really good friends.

What did you guys do to get that bond?
I don’t know — we just spent so much time together it just kind of happened.

What was the most fun thing about playing Hermione this time around?…

Age: 12. Hometown: Oxford, England.

Her role: Feisty, goody-goody witch-in-training Hermione Granger in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in theaters Nov. 15.

The search for the perfect Hermione: Emma made her film debut in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (she had only done school stage productions up to that point), and beat cut many aspiring actresses in England’s “star search” to land the part. “I didn’t even go to acting school, just a normal average school. They had already been through millions and trillions of girls in the country. I kept auditioning until I got the part.”

On Hermione: “She gets on everyone’s nerves. She talks in class all the time, and that is annoying. Inside, she is very nice and more laid-back in this movie.”

Her biggest challenge: Hermione is a dictionary-she uses long words I don’t understand.” HER BELIEFS: Emma doesn’t believe in witches, but she is superstitious.

The Ultimate Spell: “I would make myself invisible so I could sneak into concerts and be near rock stars.”

Her favourite character: Gilderoy Lockhart, the new professor in Chamber of Secrets. “He plays such a fantastic character, and he’s hilarious. I get to act dreamy in scenes because I’m in love with him.”

On her co-stars: Does Emma crush on Daniel Radcliffe (Harry) and Rupert Grint (Ron)? “We get along great, but I don’t have a crush on them. I know them too well. I do have to keep them on their toes and show them who’s boss.”

Her hair: She doesn’t have curly, frizzy hair in real life.…