Growing up in a cult film series has left and indelible yet not life-defining impact on Emma Watson, Helen Barlow writes.

The greatest shock in seeing Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is to notice how much the young actors have grown up. In fact, the fifth instalmnet is no longer a kids’ movie, but a teen drama about characters who are rapidly coming of age.

In real life the three prinipals are maturing faster than their characters, with Daniel Radcliffe even appearing nude on the London stage. Rupert Grint’s chest seems to be getting broaders and his voice deeper and deeper, while Emma Watson is broadening her mind and fashion sense and looking more womanly every day. She’s now on the covers of magazines, appearing very grown up indeed and, as with most things, she is asserting a level of control.

“In interviews lik this and when I’m working on Harry Potter I can dress myself, but the stylists on those shoots have strong views of what they want you to look like,” she says in London. “So sometimes it’s a bit of a battle between what they want you to be and what I really am, so I’m like, ‘Please take off the eyeliner’ or ‘Please don’t put me in those awful shoes’, or whatever it is.”

Does she think of herself as glamorous?

“I can be if I want to be. I love dressing up, but it doesn’t rule or dictate my life.”

Growing up in front of the cameras is never easy and being a part of one of the most successful franchises in film history has meant Watson’s life is not entirely her own.…

The Order of the Phoenix is a much darker movie. Did you feel it on set?
Yes, the plot goes darker and more tortured with each movie. But a lot of this depth and darkness is also due to David Yates, the director. He’s very emotional and subtle.

Have the HP movies influence your teenage years? Do you feel you’ve been losing your best years?
Yes and no. I don’t have the kind of freedom that most teenagers my age have. I can’t do whatever I want. Whether I like it or not, I’m constantly in the public eye, even at school. So I have to be kind of wary, but I’m not complaining. After all, maybe it’s a good thing.

Have you ever thought about giving up on your role?
Yes, a few times. It sometimes gives me headaches. Filming takes so long and demanding that I have wondered if all those efforts were worth the sacrifice of my time with my friends and family.

What do you miss the most during filming?
Not to be at home often, and to have very little leisure time, because of the school work I have to catch up with. This stressing way of life that makes you feel aware of your responsibilities very early. Too early, maybe. But again, I don’t feel like a victim. After all these years, it’s still a lot of fun for me to go from Hermione to Emma and from Emma to Hermione.

How do you deal with filming and school work?…

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.…

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.…

Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, the three leads at the heart of the Harry Potter series, return in the third instalment, The Prisoner Of Azkaban.

What was it like seeing your faces on the big screen?

Rupert: Yeah, it’s really weird seeing yourself on the big screen – it’s quite scary – but I’ve sort of got used to it now, it’s quite cool.

Daniel: I’ve never really liked watching myself that much. I saw the film with some of my friends and I was sitting in the front row of the cinema, and the last frame of the film is one of my face, and it looked like I was about to eat the front row of the audience. It’s kind of scary and a bit surreal, but I think we’ve all gotten used to it now.

How different was it working with Alfonso Cuarón compared to Chris Columbus?

Daniel: Everything we learned with Chris over two years – which was a lot – we now get a chance to put it into practice with another director. That was a challenge in itself, because we had to get used to someone else’s style, but it has helped us a lot to evolve or develop just making the transition.

Rupert: Yeah, it was a bit weird when we found out there was going to be a new director – we’d gotten really close to Chris, I was really used to him. But Alfonso was wicked, we had a really good time.…

We talk to Harry and Hermione about The Prisoner of Azkaban.

Recently in New York, Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson, two-thirds of the Harry Potter trio, met with a group of print and Internet journalists for a – how should I describe it? – a mini press conference.

We considered ourselves lucky with regard to the timing and scheduling of the interview, given the limited time these two had and, during this time of incredible Azkaban interest, the number of people who wanted to talk to them. Radcliffe had just completed an interview with E! Entertainment Television, and at the time of this interview both were scheduled to be at MTV studios in Times Square in 45 minutes. So, we had our half-hour window.

Radcliffe was dressed down for the occasion in jeans and t-shirt, and Watson was looking very, well… Sgt. Pepper. And they proved convincingly that they’re both incredibly articulate and thoughtful young stars.

And now, Radcliffe and Watson discuss maturing as actors and teenagers, their future goals, their fellow cast members and the making of Azkaban…

Could you two start off by commenting on how much you think you’ve changed through the course of these three movies?

Emma: We’ve just been getting older, maturing.

Daniel: I think we probably have changed as actors as well, but I’m not conscious of myself changing. I mean, I can’t pick-up on it. I never watched the first film again since, like, for about three years now. So I can’t really compare it to the third because it’s not very fresh in my mind.…

We went to New York for the premiere of the new “Harry Potter” film and sat down for a chat with Harry and Hermione (Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson)! We learned all kinds of cool info like, did you know that Sirius Black plays the bass! Emma looked extra hot with more blonde streaks in her curled, light brown hair and was wearing a very cute red military jacket with gold braid with her jeans. Dan’s hair was all tousled cute and he was in white tee, jeans and tennies. Big change after the fancy clothes the two donned for the Premiere the day before.

These two have a mutual admiration society going. Either that or something flirty is starting to happen between them. Ever the English gent, Dan pulls out Emma’s chair for her and they share lots of smiles as they talk. The two 14-year-olds were seen dancing together at the party after the Premiere and can’t say enough nice things about each other.. hummm. Ron and Hermione may be getting closer in the films but in real life could it be Harry and Hermione? Well, for now, we’ll just settle for a friendly chat about Dan’s rock band aspirations and Emma’s love of her girl-power, kick butt role in “Azkaban”. Tune in….

Can you talk about how much you think you’ve changed over the course of the three “Harry” films?

Emma: We’ve just been getting older.

Daniel: I think that we probably have changed as actors as well, but I’m not conscious of myself changing.…

Apart from being the most famous schoolgirl on the planet, life is pretty normal for Emma Watson, who plays Hermione. Homework, boys, oh, and starring in a major blockbuster! Life is good for Emma. Lizo finds out what famous teenagers get up too.

What do you think of the film?
There has always been so much pressure from the start, I just hope that the third film has done justice to the book, and I have done justice to Hermione, because it’s my favourite book.

What’s it like being the most famous schoolgirl on the planet?
I don’t really feel like that. It feels like I am famous for about two days and then it goes back to being me again.

Do you get to have a normal childhood, do all that teenage stuff?
Yes, I do definitely. When I’m not filming I go back to school, I see my friends. I get to do normal teenage stuff again.

What is a typical normal weekend?
Well, when I’m not filming, sometimes I have some homework to do, I see my friends.

In this movie, apart from the glorious moment you get to punch Malfoy, what is the favourite bits for you?
Apart from that. I was privileged that I got to work with people like David Thwelis, Gary Oldman, Timothy Spall, Emma Thompson, all these fantastic actors and actresses. And I had a great time doing that. Also, the last scene in the Shrieking Shack really challenged me. So I had a good time doing that.…