“I have always played the good guys so far,” he says. “I’d love to play a baddy and maybe beat some people up – do something different. I’m definitely a character actor.” - Rupert

Ivana:  Hell yes! We all see him as a character actor, don’t we? )))
Question 2:  Best Photoshoot

Ivana:  FHM. It was unlike anything he’d done before, very adult, very blokey, and the clothes were great too!

Question 3:  Best Appereance/Event Outing

Ivana:  For me it has to be the Half-Blood Prince premiere in London, because that’s the first time I saw Rupert one-on-one and got a greeting from him for all the ICMers. London was hit by a monsoon that day and we were all drenched, but somehow Rupert still managed to look absolutely adorable (unlike me)!

Question 4:  Best Interview(printed and/or video)

Ivana:  Since I’m a musician, I love interviews where Rupert discusses his musical tastes. There was this interview with The Times where he mentioned for the first time his didgeridoo and how his mother was a punker. And in 2009 he talked to The Musical Observer weekly about his favourite bands and whatnot (and the photo that accompanied that interview was amazing!) The Observer Interview

Question 5:  Best T-shirt
Ivana:  The Harry Potter shirt he donned for the OotP LA premiere. Such a classic. )))

Question 6:  Funniest thing Rupert did on camera
Ivana:  The entire “golf” interview. The look on his face when he said “Jesus” was priceless!

Question 7:  Best Rupert moment

Ivana:  Gosh, I love the baby interviews, the PS/SS era… Among the recent ones, I’d have to opt for Rupert having a dragon painted on his face at the Great Ormond Children’s Hospital charity event.

Question 8:  Best Ron moment
Ivana:  In books, the Silver Doe face-your-inner-dark-side moment is beyond competition. In the movies, the best Ron moment so far is his Yule Ball trying-hard-to-hide-his-jealousy and RG pulled it off perfectly.

Question 9:  Best Hairstyle
Ivana:  The super long shaggy red locks! 2004-2005.

Question 10:  Movie Role you’re dying to see right now!
Ivana:  Deathly Hallows 1, because we already know that the Silver Doe will be in the first movie.

As usual, your host is Sam aka Erudite Witch. This time she has invited several Ron-experts to join the discussion, namely Sabine (Galadriel 12), AJ, Joana (Wicked Jo), Emily (Mugglemama) and Dove! They delve deep into the character of Ron, focusing on the differences between the books and the movies, especially as regards the characterisation. Now that Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince has finally been released, our Ron lovers give their honest opinions on the movie, and attempt to predict what to expect in the latest two installments of the franchise, Deathly Hallows I and II.

Roncast 2

• Intro Song: Magic Man by Heart

• The Ron Quote of the month

• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: impressions, reflections
  

• Fanfiction Corner
  

• Deathly Hallows Spoilers
  

• What to expect in Deathly Hallows
  

Download Roncast from the blue Roncast box in the top right corner, and ENJOY! (NOTE: the link will take you to a separate SendSpace page, where you’ll find the download link.)

As noted, the song in the background is Magic Man by Heart. Every podcast, we’ll pick a different song based on your suggestions. If you’ve got a song that you think fits Ron Weasley perfectly, just get a hold of us at grintasticonline@googlemail.com. Also, we would love to have you on show, so if you consider yourself a fellow Ron-expert, email us to land a guest spot! And no need to remind you, your comments and suggestions are always welcome!

UPDATE: We have now added all episodes of Roncast to our Media site, so if you missed an episode, you may download it from here. Enjoy!

Emma Watson (photo by Charles Sykes)

Throughout the years, we have watched Emma Watson grow up on screen, alongside her co-stars Rupert Grint and Daniel Radcliffe. From a cute 9-year-old, she has developed into a glamourous young woman. In the process, she has acquired many fans, but probably as many haters too. Some praise her looks, talent and personality, others are annoyed by her mug and less than impressed by her acting skills. Her ubiquitous media presence, her numerous photoshoots and the front seats at major fashion shows have only added up to the controversy. Is she a serious actress, or just a pin-up? Is she a nice, polite girl or a bitchy spoiled diva? Has she been given undeserved credit? Does her popularity overshadow her, more talented, co-stars? The questions abound, and the answers are extremely diverse.

There is no denying that Emma has the biggest following of all Harry Potter stars – there are hundreds of fansites dedicated to her, she usually tops popularity polls, she wins acting awards based on the public vote, and she has landed numerous lucrative modelling jobs. Maybe it’s because she’s the only girl of the Trio — and a beautiful one at that — or maybe because she’s very charming and articulate in interviews. Moreover, despite all the media scrutiny, she hasn’t succumbed to the pressure and she presents herself as a strong, clever, ambitious, well-educated and level-headed young woman, untainted by fame and money. But is this “the real Emma” or not? And more importantly, is Emma’s cocktail of good looks, powerful intellect and the position of media darling enough to secure her a post-Potter career?

Emma as Hermione Granger

I’ve been a part of the Harry Potter fandom for many years now, and it always seemed to me that Emma was the most controversial cast member. The opinions on her acting potential, her portrayal of Hermione, her on-screen presence and off-screen interests have always been extremely divided. On top of that, legions of fans wanted her to end up in an emotional relationship with either Daniel or Rupert, and the debates re: which one would have been a better match just added to the controversy. Of course, our opinion(s) on Emma are, to a great degree, mediated by the media: Emma the celebrity is probably a very different person from the real deal. Emma herself has stated many times that she’d rather be less popular, and her decision to take a break from acting and pursue her University degree after Harry Potter wraps seems to confirm her words.

However, whether she’s happy about that or not, Emma is a public person and, as such, exposed to scrutiny by millions of people who have never met her. We – the movie lovers, Harry Potter fans, movie tickets and magazine buyers – all have our own perceptions of Emma, which have been mediated by the interviews we’ve read, rumours we’ve heard, photos we’ve admired, and last but not least, the movies we’ve seen her in. Thus, my idea was to ask our forum members to share their thoughts and opinions on Emma with us. The fans were asked to answer a questionnaire, comprising ten questions, on various aspects of Emma’s public persona, in order to create a most accurate psychological “photo-robot” of Emma as an actor and a person. My only request to the participating fans was to give honest, detailed and good-spirited answers, and I promised that I wouldn’t reveal their names (unless they insisted lol).

When choosing who to send my questions to, I did not specifically target the self-proclaimed Emma-lovers or Emma-haters: all these nice people who sent their responses are Rupert fans first and foremost, and they have learned to appreciate Emma as a part of the Harry Potter franchise. Of course, some of them like her better than the others, but overall none of them is too biased. They just gave their honest opinions, that’s all. The paragraphs to follow sum up their answers, and hopefully provide additional insight into the Emma Watson phenomenon.

Many thanks to all fans who took the time and effort to answer my questions; and if you are interested in reading everyone’s full responses, you will find the links to the questionnaires below.

The first group of questions focused on Emma as a person and the way she presents herself to the fans and media. The opinions of fans have been overwhelmingly positive – a majority agree that Emma is a clever and down-to-Earth girl, a good role model for other teenagers. They also appreciated her academic ambitions: as summed up by someone, “As an actress making millions of dollars, she could easily play down the necessity of a good education. However, her determination to finish (and excel!) in her studies is such a positive thing for young fans to see.”

Emma, looking not-so-glamourous after a night out.

As for Emma’s attitude, many fans perceive her as a nice and decent person overall, although some have noticed that Emma can also appear grumpy or aloof in the images. However, we may never know whether this is just a defense mechanism on Emma’s part, a way of protecting her privacy, or a true sign of her moodiness. Although she is very young, Emma has already been on a receiving end of some downright ruthless media intrusiveness – be it speculation about her present and past boyfriends, or paparazzi catching her in compromising poses and plastering photos of Emma flashing her underwear all over the Internet. Some tabloids have described her a b*tchy drama queen, some have hacked into her personal e-mail and published her private correspondence, some have proclaimed her to be a descendant of a true witch, some have declared her dead. None of these is easy to deal with, especially for a girl who is still only 19 years old, and all fans who responded to my questionnaire seem to agree that, so far, Emma has handled the media exposure and pressures that come with it quite admirably.

Related to this is the group of questions about Emma’s career plans and prospects. As we all know, Emma has expressed uncertainty about her future career direction on several occasions, and it definitely looks like she has no idea what she will be doing for living in ten years time! Besides, as noted by a few fans, she seems to contradict herself all the time. She is starting the University in September, so she is definitely interested in academics, and apparently eager to turn her back to living in the spotlight… but no, she also says she would love to do more films during her summer breaks! When asked to choose between acting and modelling she has opted for acting – and yet, she has only done two roles outside of Harry Potter (one voice-over and one TV drama) while at the same time she has accepted numerous modelling jobs.

The fans who responded to the questionnaire seem to think that Emma is expecting too much of herself, and should focus on doing one thing at the time – be it her studies, acting or anything else. In any case, as noted by a fan, “she is in the fortunate situation that she can afford to be uncertain for a while. Others her age have to make decisions for their future life. But she won’t ever have to worry about her income or earning her living, so she can still decide in three years time when she’s finished studying.”

Rupert and Emma interviewed by GMTV

We also “talked” about the way Emma has treated her co-star Rupert Grint over the years. A majority of fans seem to agree that Emma likes and respects Rupert and thinks of him as a good friend. However, quite a few people were disappointed by Emma’s remark that kissing Rupert was “the most horrible thing she’s ever done” (or something). Of course, we all know the context behind this statement (or, should I say, slip): Emma thinks of Rupert as a sibling, thus kissing him in front of the cameras must have been a weird experience for her. Still, the fans felt that she should have worded it differently. And this remark didn’t help excite the fans about the upcoming Ron/Hermione kiss in Deathly Hallows either — despite the fact that all fans agree that Emma is a huge Ron/Hermione shipper who was definitely pleased to learn that these two ended up together.

Allow me to add that, if Emma is serious about continuing with acting, she should better get used to kissing other actors, no matter how she felt about them in real life! In that respect, perhaps she should take some advice from none other than Rupert, who has already kissed four girls on screen (Michelle Duncan, Jessie Cave, Kimberley Nixon and Emma herself). Although he has admitted to feeling uncomfortable when filming those scenes, he’s had nothing but words of praise for his on-screen partners and he made us feel excited about all that snogging. Practice makes perfection, dear Emma!

As for Emma’s acting abilities, a majority of fans are quite doubtful about her acting potential and unhappy with her portrayal of Hermione. When it comes to describing her performance in Harry Potter movies, most opinions have ranged from “decent” to “sh*tty”; and only two interviewed persons have actually been happy with Emma as Hermione. Most fans seem to think that Emma did her best job in the first two movies; one fan voted for Prisoner of Azkaban, and a few have noted that Emma has improved in Half-Blood Prince as compared to Goblet of Fire and Order of the Phoenix. But not a single one of them has described Emma’s acting as “brilliant”. It seems to me that Rupert fans in general do like Emma the person, Emma the beauty and Emma the wisecracker, but not so much Emma the actress. She is rarely referred to as a “natural” actress, someone who was “born to do it”.

To be fair, lots of fans have noted that a part of the reason why they’re disappointed with movie!Hermione is the way the character has been written and directed; as one fan has put it: “This may be the fault of the directors more than Emma the actress. She only performs the way the director asks, and the director gets to choose which scenes to select/edit out.” Still, there’s no denying that Emma’s less-than-impressive acting has also contributed to the fans’ dissatisfaction with Hermione in the movies.

The opinions of those who have seen Emma’s other movies have also been divided: while some fans enjoyed Ballet Shoes and thought that Emma was more comfortable playing Pauline than Hermione, others didn’t notice much change/improvement. A majority of fans agreed that Emma should have done more roles outside of the franchise, in order to gain more experience and learn a thing or two about acting; but they also admitted that it must have been difficult for Emma to joggle her education with acting commitments. Most fans believe that Emma should really start taking acting more seriously if she has any plans of making it in the business after her Harry Potter days are over. But in order to do so, she would have to decide first whether she wants to be an actress at all. Looks like Emma herself, with her reluctance to fully commit herself to acting, has contributed quite a lot to the general concensus that she was not born to be an actress. The fans seem to believe that, as long as she is doubtful about her acting future and reluctant to devote herself 100% to acting, she won’t be using her full potential; and in the long run it might cost her a post-Potter career.

Emma Watson on the cover of Crash. Photo by Karl Lagerfeld.

The final group of questions was about Emma’s looks, her celebrity status and the recent media conviction that she is the next “it” girl, the new fashion icon. Again, the fans’ opinions have been divided: while a majority believe that Emma getting all that media attention is good for the Harry Potter franchise in general, on the other hand, they also think that Emma has been getting too much attention at the expense of her more talented co-stars. While all fans agreed that Emma is cute and pretty, some think that her looks are slightly overrated – let me quote a fan opinion here: “She’s a pretty girl, but she’ll never be in the same sex bomb category as, say, Megan Fox or Scarlett Johansson.” And although most fans have no objections to Emma’s interest in and involvement with the fashion industry, they can’t help but note that “good looks alone do not make her a good actress,” and if she is serious about continuing as an actress, “she can’t count on her looks alone to score her new roles” – due to fierce competition she’s about to face once her Harry Potter days are over.

It is beyond doubt that Emma herself is aware of this, and maybe her reluctance to commit herself to acting career at the moment really has to do with her insecurity about her looks and her acting abilities. If this is the case, the only advise the fans seem to have agreed upon is that she should take her time, try out different things in the next couple of years, and then make a firm decision about her future and stick to it. In either case, Emma Watson has definitely grown on us all over the years we have watched her as Hermione Granger, so we all hope she’ll make the best decisions for her, and grow into a happy and accomplished person.

Emma Watson Questionnaire: Fans’ Feedback
Questionnaire 1
Questionnaire 2
Questionnaire 3
Questionnaire 4
Questionnaire 5
Questionnaire 6
Questionnaire 7
Questionnaire 8
Questionnaire 9
Questionnaire 10
Questionnaire 11
Questionnaire 12
Questionnaire 13
Questionnaire 14

Hereby me and Karo want to thank all the fans who attended the screening — and especially to those who sent their reviews and feedback — and also to The Little Film Company, who presented us with this wonderful opportunity as a token of appreciation for all the work we had done in helping promote Cherrybomb and campaigning to secure a distribution deal for it.

ICM staffer Karo with fans and representatives of other fansites who attended the London screening of Cherrybomb.

So, what did the fans think of the film? Read their reviews below…

Cherrybomb Review 1
by Kylie

Any movie with Rupert Grint in it I automatically love. But I do believe that audiences who are not familiar with Rupert and his work in the Harry Potter series will enjoy Cherrybomb. I think that with this film, its appeal largely depends on the demographic. Younger audiences will be attracted to Cherrybomb because of its “sex, drugs and rock & roll” subject matter, and because the three leads are very attractive and quite engaging in terms of their performances, as well as their already established popularity: Kimberley Nixon for her roles in several recent teen movies, Robert Sheehan for his TV work, and Rupert… well, obviously everyone knows him and loves him as Ron Weasley.

I also think that the soundtrack was AMAZING, and it’s so great that they used many local bands from Belfast and other lesser-knows music acts. The music really did play a crucial part in the film, both in the story as well as setting the tone and mood of each scene.

I definitely believe that Cherrybomb’s best quality, as a film, was the incredible cinematography and overall visual aesthetic. The colours, sets, camera angles, everything was just so visually dynamic and gorgeous. Right from the begining, all the way to the end I was engaged by what I was SEEING on the screen. If the movie had no plot or sound at all, I think I still could enjoy Cherrybomb just watching the beautiful imagery.

That being said, I think that Cherrybomb’s weakest feature was a relatively weak plot and minimal dialogue. The movie was a series of trouble making by a couple of teenagers. Luke’s family problems constituted the meatiest parts of the plot, but not enough to carry through the whole film, because this subplot didn’t really relate to the trio’s relationship (which, I think, was meant to be the main focus of the film). The quick pace of the film combined with the minimal dialogue didn’t give me enough to engage with, in terms of the characters and their relationship with each other. If Luke’s and Malachy’s friendship was more believable and intense, the dramatic parts of the film would have had a MUCH greater impact on me.

The three leads were cast incredibly well and that they all did an amazing job, especially with their unaccostomed accents. Robert Sheehan was clearly the least experienced actor, Kimberley Nixon did well although had a few iffy moments, and Rupert, well, I’m being biased but I think he was the best. To compare Rupert’s performance to his other roles, I’d say that he is definitely branching out and I always see him growing as an actor. In all seriousness, I think he is THE most natural and flexible young actor working today. I really can’t compare him to anyone else, I just think he is amazing.

Although I’m Canadian, I didn’t find it difficult to understand the accents, actually I found they weren’t as thick as I thought they would be! Very good job by the cast, if I didn’t know any better I would have never thought that they weren’t Irish!

I would recommend this movie to anyone. I know that some people will enjoy it much more than others, but I do think that it’s a beautiful film and that everyone should be able to appreciate at least some elements of it. As for me, I would definitely see Cherrybomb again! I really do hope that it gets picked up by some great distributors, because the public deserves to see it. However, I think 14 might be a bit young to see this movie. Of course, people have various maturity levels but in general I think that Cherrybomb is best suited for an older teen audience, or young adults.

Cherrybomb Review 2
by Vicky

Firstly, I definitely enjoyed the film! I wasn’t too sure what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised, it exceeded my expectations. I felt that Rupert Grint and Robert Sheehan played their roles really well, and they were naturals in the roles. Rupert brought a nice spin on a character with some swagger and both actors had really good comic timing.

I was not as sure about Kimberley Nixon’s performance. It may just be the role, but I never felt that connected to her and I couldn’t see why she was causing such disruption in Luke’s and Malachy’s friendship that had obviously gone through some difficult times before this. I couldn’t decide if her affection for Malachy was real or just something to pass the time. I still enjoyed her performance to an extent, but I just felt the character could have been a bit more fleshed out.

I enjoyed the “artsyness” of the film, some slick ideas on show which really worked in the film’s favour. The soundtrack was well chosen as well and added to the atmosphere.

I enjoyed Cherrybomb immensely and I would definitely go to the cinema to see this movie again. However, I was a bit confused as to who the movie would be aimed at. Obviously, Rupert Grint is the most famous name in it, and a majority of Harry Potter fans would be interested to see it. But it doesn’t seem to be a film for teenagers, despite it being about teenagers. Personally I would recommend it to older teens and young adults, as I think it has something for everyone.

To sum up, I think Cherrybomb was an excellent movie that was totally engaging and uniquely realistic. Not your typical teen movie, and that’s why people should go see it!

Cherrybomb Review 3
by Princess and Crystal

Cherrybomb is an extremely gripping film about relationships, the importance of friendship, drugs and parties. It will appeal more so to the youth as they could possible relate to it. The first thing we noticed and immediately liked was the artistic feel the film had taken. It gave the whole film a sense of excitement and interest. We also liked the fact that each individual character’s sense of style in clothing portrayed their own personalities extremely well. For example, Luke (Robert Sheehan) wore clothes of clashing colours and interesting patterns, which gave him an overall eccentric look. It all corresponds well with the character whose father is an alcoholic and who deals drugs. Malachy (Rupert Grint) on the other hand dresses smart and neat, which reflects his character as someone with manners, respect for other people and also that he is easy to get along with.

Even though Malachy and Luke are almost complete opposites, they are best friends. You can see that underneath the fact that they don’t get along sometimes, they have a very strong bond. Michelle (Kimberly Nixon) comes into town to stay with her father because she has caused too much trouble for her mother to take care of her. Her style is very quirky which reflects the fact that she is a girl who likes to have her fun. Her arrival causes immediate rivalry between Malachy and Luke. The relationship between the three of them is not a smooth one. At first you see that she is maybe drawn more towards Luke than Malachy. Maybe it is because the thing they have in common is that they are both thrill seekers. Michelle is always looking for a bit of excitement and Luke is always willing to entertain, even if it will affect other people in the process.

As the film unrolls, you slowly start to see her turn to Malachy. Perhaps it has to do with the fact that Malachy is controlled, loving and a little romantic and she really wants control in her life and someone to genuinely care about her. The story starts with the boys fighting after Michelle, but then things twist and it becomes Luke fighting for his friendship with Malachy. As things only seem to be getting worse for Luke, he suddenly realises that Malachy is the only thing he has left, even though you see that their friendship is falling apart. In the end, he takes desperate measures to save his friend and their friendship.

Cherrybomb was a great film, the acting was very good and the chemistry between the three leads was immense. We really enjoyed it.

Cherrybomb Review 4
by Natalie

I loved Cherrybomb. The film had a very entertaining storyline and the characters were very realistic. The film’s edgy and the nail-biting storyline is something that a lot of people would enjoy. I know my friends would definitely love it! Not all of them are crazy about Rupert like I am, but this film would really appeal to all people around my age (18+) and older.

I can’t really fault this film because I thoroughly enjoyed all of it! The storyline had me hooked and I thought it was action-packed and thrilling! The thing I wasn’t sure about in the film was the text from the text messages they sent. It was very good, I liked the idea, but a lot of the slang was a bit confusing for me, I didn’t really understand what some of it meant.

The actors’ performances were brilliant. Robert Sheehan, who plays Luke, gave a spectacular performance! I was very impressed with him in this film, and having not seen him in anything other than Cherrybomb, I’d very much like for him to do things in the future. Kimberly Nixon was also good. I wasn’t too crazy about how she portayed the accent, but otherwise, very good.

And Rupert Grint – he was fantastic! Cannot fault his performance at all! His performance in Cherrybomb was very different to his role as Ron in Harry Potter and Ben in Driving Lessons. It was nice to see him play a role that’s more grown up and adventurous. He stuck to his accent — his very good Northern Irish accent — at all times, and the emotion he gave out when acting was amazing! He really showed us how it’s done in some very powerful and emotional scenes.

In short, Rupert did a marvelous job, and I personally think he’ll do great — after Harry Potter is over — in other roles, as this film really did show us that he’ll cope without the Hogwarts robes.

Cherrybomb Review 5
by Dexy

Let me start by saying that I have never written a movie review in my life, so don’t expect much! I should also note that I’m a 39-year-old male, and I don’t really belong to Cherrybomb’s possible target audience. I’m not into indie flicks; I happen to love science fiction and action blockbusters, and I would probably never have heard of Cherrybomb if it weren’t for my wife, who is a huge Rupert Grint fan. It was her who persuaded me to see the film, and I was pleasantly surprised.

Overall, I liked the film very much. It’s a simple and straightforward story, possibly inspired by some real-life events. The best thing about Cherrybomb are the actors’ performances, which are all very good, natural and convincing. The actors were completely unfamiliar to me — except Rupert Grint whom I had seen in Harry Potter movies and a comedy called Thunderpants — thus I didn’t know what to expect; but they really carried the movie. Since I’m not a native English speaker, I cannot judge how authentic their accents were, but they did seem pretty convincing to me.

I would recommend this film to audiences aged 15 and older. The film deals with the challenges of growing up, including the drug abuse, heavy drinking and such, and it has a pretty strong message: the irresponsible indulging in crime and substance abuse can easily lead into tragedy. Although the kids will always find good excuses for their behaviour (such as parents’ neglect, unreturned love, etc.), they need to stop seeking instant relief and accept responsibilities for their actions.

Rupert Grint and Kimberley Nixon in Cherrybomb. Photo by Helen Sloan

2. Emma’s acting in Harry Potter – is she a good Hermione or not? How important is canon in this respect?What did you think of her performance in Half-Blood Prince as opposed to other films?
I like her in the role of Hermione. Sometimes she overacts, for example her facial expressions make her look a little fake, but only a few times; so overall she is perfect as Hermione. In Half-Blood Prince she was nice. You could see that Hermione loves Ron but doesn’t want to express her feelings. I liked the scene with the birds a lot, she really seemed to be crying.

3. Emma’s acting outside Harry Potter (Ballet Shoes, The Tale of Despereaux)
In Ballet Shoes her character was different from Hermione, so she did a good job; and I didn’t watch The Tale of Despereaux.

4. The fact that Emma didn’t do many roles outside of Harry Potter – a good thing or not?
I think this is neither good nor bad because, okay, she could have learned more about acting, but maybe she wanted to have more free time to spend with her family and friends. But definitely she could learn a few things that would improve her performance as Hermione.

5. Emma’s looks – overrated or not
No I think it’s okay, people like her, she’s pretty and it’s natural for the magazines and companies to want to have her as their “face” and put her on the covers.

6. Emma as a style icon – is it a good thing for the Harry Potter franchise overall, or not?
Yes, definitely it is good, I think it gives Harry Potter some good publicity.

7. Emma’s ambition and plans in life: acting, or modelling, or university, or all these
She’s making good decisions. It’s a good thing that she wants to study something: it’s a backup plan and it should make her feel more secure if she doesn’t want to act in a future. As for modelling, well she’s very pretty and if she likes it, she should take advantage of it.

8. The way Emma treats Rupert in interviews and public appearances
They look like friends, not best friends but good friends; maybe she speaks a lot and I don’t know if Rupert is just shy or she really doesn’t let Rupert talk hahaha.

9. Emma as a Ron/Hermione shipper
I think she likes the relationship, and enjoys talking about Ron/Hermione, but when it comes to the movies and the scenes with Rupert, she looks uncomfortable.

10. Your expectations: Emma in Deathly Hallows I and II, and beyond Harry Potter
I hope there will be some improvement in the Ron/Hermione department. She always does a good job with the Harry/Hermione scenes, but I really want to see how the relationship between Ron and Hermione grows, how they really love each other. I want to see it on the screen.

2. Emma’s acting in Harry Potter – is she a good Hermione or not? How important is canon in this respect? What did you think of her performance in Half-Blood Prince as opposed to other films?
I am not totally pleased with Emma’s portrayal of Hermione in the HP movies. She seems too snotty, too arrogant, and not as socially awkward or mocked as the book version of Hermione. This may be the fault of the directors more than Emma the actress. She only performs the way the director asks, and the director gets to choose which scenes to select/edit out.
I feel that canon is important, but not if it gets in the way of decent film story-telling.
I enjoyed Emma’s portrayal of Hermione in Half-Blood Prince more than in most of the films. That was probably due to the fact that she actually had a better variety of emotions to portray. I did feel some of the scenes were forced (hospital bed scene with Lavender), but was glad for less “eyebrow emoting” overall.

3. Emma’s acting outside Harry Potter (Ballet Shoes, The Tale of Despereaux)
I haven’t seen any of her other works, as they do not appeal to me.

4. The fact that Emma didn’t do many roles outside of Harry Potter – a good thing or not?
It doesn’t matter.

5. Emma’s looks – overrated or not
She is a beautiful young woman with a very ‘youthful’ appearance. She is not a stunning beauty. The film makers allow the portrayal of Hermione to be too pretty. Hermione is supposed to be plain, not lovely.

6. Emma as a style icon – is it a good thing for the Harry Potter franchise overall, or not?
I feel the fashion world is superficial and unimportant, so I’d rather not see Ms. Watson be involved with this industry. However, it has no impact on the Harry Potter franchise overall.

7. Emma’s ambition and plans in life: acting, or modelling, or university, or all these
Her best option, since she is not getting the acting opportunities she desires, is to follow an education and find something that better suits her abilities.

8. The way Emma treats Rupert in interviews and public appearances
Other than saying that kissing him was “horrible,” she has always been inclusive and generous to Rupert in interviews. She clearly enjoys him and wants others to as well. Her “horrible” comment was impulsive and reflective of the experience of kissing on screen, not the individual. None the less, it was not the most appropriate way to react.

9. Emma as a Ron/Hermione shipper
I am grateful that she has always been the most vocal proponent of the pair. I hope she was pleased with the way the storyline worked out.

10. Your expectations: Emma in Deathly Hallows I and II, and beyond Harry Potter
I expect Emma to continue to get the lion’s share of attention throughout filming and promotion of Deathly Hallows I & II. That’s just the media’s way. I hope that she is able to continue to grow in showing the flirtation and attraction between Hermione and Ron, as well as the anguish and hurt of abandonment. I also hope that she finds what she is looking for in a career, and happiness for the future.

2. Emma’s acting in Harry Potter – is she a good Hermione or not? And why? How important is canon in this respect? What did you think of her performance in Half-Blood Prince as opposed to other films?
I really liked her in the first two movies. Prisoner of Azkaban was a step back, but I don’t think it was Emma’s fault – it was the tandem of Kloves and Cuaron who turned Hermione into something she wasn’t supposed to be. However, since Goblet of Fire Emma has completely ruined Hermione for me. She adopted some really bad habits, she started overacting and portraying Hermione as this hysterical, overly emotional, annoying teenager. Book!Hermione does have her high-strung moments, but most of the time she is quite rational, sensible and objective. Emma fails to grasp this dimension of Hermione completely. Sometimes it seems to me Emma is trying too hard, the other time she appears completely disinterested. She needs to learn to breathe, relax in the scene, but most of all, she needs to decide whether she wants to be an actress or not. It is plain obvious that in the past 4-5 years she has been doubtful about her acting prospects, and unfortunately it shows. And I haven’t really seen much improvement in Half-Blood Prince. I have to admit she annoyed me less, but only because her screen time was diminished.

3. Emma’s acting outside Harry Potter (Ballet Shoes, The Tale of Despereaux)
I haven’t seen The Tale of Despereaux, so I can’t tell. Ballet Shoes was a nice little TV movie, but Emma was probably the weakest link in the cast. She was completely overshadowed by the girls who played Pauline’s sisters Petrova and Posy – even the girl who played Winifred was a lot better than Emma. I understand why Emma wanted to do Ballet Shoes, but the role wasn’t much of a stretch and her performance was nothing to write home about.

4. The fact that Emma didn’t do many roles outside of Harry Potter – a good thing or not?
Well, it’s undoubtedly a good thing that Emma kept focus on school and got excellent marks and got accepted to a prestigious university – getting a good degree will open lots of doors for her, career wise. However, if she is serious about continuing her career as an actress beyond Harry Potter, then it’s a bad thing, because she needs to learn her craft. In fact it puzzles me why she didn’t want to study drama.

5. Emma’s looks – overrated or not
Overrated. She’s a pretty girl, but she’ll never be in the same sex bomb category as, say, Megan Fox or Scarlett Johansson. Besides, there are so many pretty girls in Hollywood, so if she’s serious about continuing with acting, she can’t count on her looks alone to score her new roles.

6. Emma as a style icon – is it a good thing for the Harry Potter franchise overall, or not?
It’s a good thing, because it draws more attention to the movies, and broadens the potential audience.

7. Emma’s ambition and plans in life: acting, or modelling, or university, or all these
Whatever makes her happy, but honestly, I don’t see her winning an Academy Award anytime soon.

8. The way Emma treats Rupert in interviews and public appearances
It is quite obvious that Emma is fond of Rupert; she usually has nice things to say about him. However, I’ve never noticed any sign of sexual attraction between them: so, when Emma says that she only sees Rupert as a good friend, or an older brother, I believe her.

9. Emma as a Ron/Hermione shipper
I do believe she’s a R/Hr shipper, she has said so many times. I also hope she’s upset as much as the rest of us R/Hr shippers when their relationship is downplayed in the movies!

10. Your expectations: Emma in Deathly Hallows I and II, and beyond Harry Potter
I have no idea what Emma will do after Deathly Hallows, and frankly I won’t be following her career beyond Harry Potter. In any case, I hope she will make the best choices for her, and do whatever makes her happy and fulfilled, and I wish her all the best.

2. Emma’s acting in Harry Potter – is she a good Hermione or not? And why? How important is canon in this respect? What did you think of her performance in Half-Blood Prince as opposed to other films?
I must say I’m not a fan of her acting. To me, she was Hermione in the first two films: bossy, intelligent, yet insecure. Since the third film, I haven’t felt Hermione much in her acting. Partly because movie!Hermione (under the hand of you-know-who) gradually separated from book!Hermione. She suddenly become a heroine with incredible strength (yeah, she used one hand to pick Harry up and throw him into the cave in Harry Potter 3), took the lines which should have been Ron or others… Hermione also became an “old woman” with her grimaced face and seemed to be uncomfortable with everything. I could hardly distinguish whether Hermione was worried or angry because her facial expression was nearly the same: grimaced eyebrows and stares…
In Half-Blood Prince I found little attachment between Ron and Hermione. Her expression when Hermione was heartbroken gave me no feeling at all. I couldn’t feel the pain Hermione was going through and I even wondered if Hermione was crying or having stomachache. Though she did a good job in the hospital scene, I still felt their relationship unpersuasive. It’s funny that although I am a R/Hr shipper, I actually liked R/Lav better in Half-Blood Prince!

3. Emma’s acting outside Harry Potter (Ballet Shoes, The Tale of Despereaux)
I watched Ballet Shoes and I don’t know how to put it without being too harsh. Well, I saw little difference between Hermione and Pauline. That same facial expression, the same gestures sometimes made me wonder if this was Hermione or Pauline.

4. The fact that Emma didn’t do many roles outside of Harry Potter – a good thing or not?
We all know that off set Emma kept focus on her studies. So there is no surprise that she didn’t do so many roles outside of Harry Potter. In my opinion, this is a wise and good move because she didn’t let the superficial celebrity lifestyle seduce her and distract her from her other interest: study.

5. Emma’s looks – overrated or not
Emma is a beautiful young woman, no one can deny it. And the fact that she is the only girl of the Trio makes her even more beautiful. However, when you open the magazines and find her pics everywhere, you have the feeling that her beauty is overrated and appraised too much by the press.

6. Emma as a style icon – is it a good thing for the Harry Potter franchise overall, or not?
I think it’s good for the franchise. For example, when she did a photoshoot and interview for Elle, they would mention her as part of the Harry Potter franchise. Considering the majority of Elle readers, not all of them know about Harry Potter. Therefore, once they found her interesting, they might want to find our more about her through her movies.
This, however, is a double-edged sword. With the audiences who are also book purists, when they watch the movie, they may find movie!Hermione too blond and this may affect their perception of the characters.

7. Emma’s ambition and plans in life: acting, or modelling, or university, or all these
Well, this is her life and I wish her good luck. I just found it confusing that in recent interviews, while she kept saying she wanted to be anonymous after Harry Potter, she kept doing the photoshoots, she agreed to be the face of Burberry, she revealed she would be going to the States etc. Well, if you wanna be anonymous, then don’t say it everywhere and every time. I think she is still unsure about her future (well, she’s just 19).

8. The way Emma treats Rupert in interviews and public appearances
I haven’t seen too many interviews of just the two of them (I have been oblivious to the interviews outside the Harry Potter movies until… recently). However, in those interviews that I did watch she seemed very nice towards him and appraised him very much – except for the one she said kissing him was horrible (though she made some amendments later).

9. Emma as a Ron/Hermione shipper
She said a long time ago she was a R/Hr shipper. I just hope to see more good R/Hr moments in the movies.

10. Your expectations: Emma in Deathly Hallows I and II, and beyond Harry Potter
I hope in the last two movies, Hermione will be somewhat more like book!Hermione: a strong, intelligent and brave girl, who still shows her love for Ron and to some extent her dependence on him. Hermione, after all, is a girl with such a tender heart who needs caring, love and being loved.
For her project outside Harry Potter, if she continues her acting, I hope she can totally step outside the franchise and make us forget about Hermione. Above all, I wish her the best.

2. Emma’s acting in Harry Potter – is she a good Hermione or not? And why? How important is canon in this respect? What did you think of her performance in Half-Blood Prince as opposed to other films?
I actually think Emma has done a pretty respectable job playing Hermione. However, I feel that for some time her acting has taken a wrong turn. I thought she played Hermione incredibly well in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and that was actually my favorite portrayal of Hermione. Emma does make a good Hermione, mainly because they are so similar: they’re both bookworms who find comfort and peace while studying or just being in school. Now, when it comes to Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, at times I couldn’t help but cringe at her acting. I just feel that Emma isn’t giving it her all anymore, mainly because she knows the ropes now and may possibly think that she is so similar to Hermione in a way, that there’s no need to act! In other words Emma is acting the way she would react to a certain situation and not the way Hermione would. So at certain points I had to ask myself, “Is this Hermione or Emma talking?” Hmmm…

3. Emma’s acting outside Harry Potter (Ballet Shoes, The Tale of Despereaux)
Ballet Shoes was incredibly bland and pretty much bored me to tears. I thought Emma was incredibly over-dramatic during the film and to me it felt like she was again playing a character too similar to herself. I haven’t seen Tale of Despereaux so I can’t speak much about that; but if Emma was trying to prove she has any acting chops at all, she certainly wasn’t going about it correctly. She was in an animation movie and in my opinion, that’s not saying much when it comes to acting. The audience isn’t seeing you act, they’re not seeing your body language or your facial expressions, they are just hearing your voice.

4. The fact that Emma didn’t do many roles outside of Harry Potter – a good thing or not?
If she were serious about acting, she would have done more roles outside of Harry Potter. Now, I understand that school seemed more important to her, which by all means it should, but she really should have done more acting if at all possible. The fact that she has done so little outside of the franchise seems to weaken her chances of a serious career in the future.

5. Emma’s looks – overrated or not
n/a

6. Emma as a style icon – is it a good thing for the Harry Potter franchise overall, or not?
In all honesty, I find it rather annoying and extremely overrated that the public makes such a big deal out of what she’s wearing. I don’t think it’s really benefiting Harry Potter, nor is it hurting it. Her fashion sense and the franchise have nothing in common at all, except for the girl underneath those fancy clothes.

7. Emma’s ambition and plans in life: acting, or modelling, or university, or all these
I think it’s really good that Emma’s going to college because it’s a good time to “find and discover yourself;” and she may come to terms that she is meant to do something else and that acting may not be the right thing for her. She has said herself that she could fit in a couple indie movies to film while on vacation from college, but I find it hard to see Emma as an “indie darling.” Maybe I’m wrong, but I can’t see her doing any type of indie film.
I’m incredibly bothered that she is considered a “model” now. Every time I saw her on the cover of all those magazines, I couldn’t help myself but wonder if she enjoyed acting more, or modelling? I’d have to go with modelling because she’s done more magazine shoots than movies. If she was dead-on serious about her acting, she would have taken all that time it took her to pose for the photo cameras and filled it with time on a movie set, doing what she’s supposed to be doing. Acting!
So, when I see Emma, I don’t see an actress but a model.

8. The way Emma treats Rupert in interviews and public appearances
In the past I always thought that Emma treated Rupert quite well, but of course she had to make a fool out of herself on Jonathan Ross and say that kissing Rupert was “The most horrible thing I’ve ever had to do.” For one, it just didn’t seem professional and a lot of Rupert fans including myself thought that was kind of a low blow and that she could have kept that bit of information hidden. But apart from that I have no complaints. She seems to be fond of him at most times.

9. Emma as a Ron/Hermione shipper
I think it’s great that Emma is a R/Hr shipper, because it shows that she’s really into the characters and that she knows, just as much as most Harry Potter fans do, that Ron and Hermione belong together and that they are perfect for each other, despite them butting heads from time to time.

10. Your expectations: Emma in Deathly Hallows I and II, and beyond Harry Potter
I definitely expect Emma to finish college and think long and hard about acting and if this is what she really wants to do. I personally don’t see her having an extremely successful career outside of Harry Potter, just because I don’t see her making it too far beyond the franchise. Entertainment business is tough, it’s nothing but a big competition. Speaking of competition, I think she has a lot of it and she’ll have to work really hard to get the roles that she wants if she decides to go further with her career.

2. Emma’s acting in Harry Potter – is she a good Hermione or not? And why? How important is canon in this respect? What did you think of her performance in Half-Blood Prince as opposed to other films?
I think she did the best and was the closest to Hermione in the first two movies. Then her acting dropped. Can’t really put my finger on the reason. Maybe the direction, maybe the script, maybe puberty. Who knows? Is she a good Hermione? Well, I couldn’t imagine another one. Not now with only two more movies to go anyway. Her acting never convinced me much so I would have to say no, she’s not a good Hermione. But that wouldn’t be completely fair. She has been spot on in a couple of scenes. In others it’s just… maybe direction, maybe script, maybe puberty. But I have to say, she really nailed the heartbreak, the jealousy and the love for Ron in Half-Blood Prince. She was much better than in the previous few movies.

3. Emma’s acting outside Harry Potter (Ballet Shoes, The Tale of Despereaux)
I haven’t seen them, so I can’t say anything about it.

4. The fact that Emma didn’t do many roles outside of Harry Potter – a good thing or not?
If she really wants to pursue a career as an actress later, it might be a bad thing. On the other hand, since I’ve never been much convinced in her acting skills (although she has somewhat impressed me in Half-Blood Prince) her not being in too many movies has to be a good thing.

5. Emma’s looks – overrated or not
I personally find her beautiful. She can be stunningly glamorous, but what I like even more (and envy to be honest) is that she’s a natural beauty. She has a lovely face, cute freckles and all, without having to put on tons of make-up. So I don’t think her looks are overrated. But tastes are different and many people might find them overrated and that is just as valid an opinion as mine.

6. Emma as a style icon – is it a good thing for the Harry Potter franchise overall, or not?
Is she a style icon? I don’t really see that. But if she is, I don’t think it’s bad for the franchise. Brings more attention and more money, doesn’t it?

7. Emma’s ambition and plans in life: acting, or modelling, or university, or all these
I think she’s not quite 100% sure and she is in the fortunate situation that she can afford to be uncertain for a while. Others her age have to make decisions for their future life. But she won’t ever have to worry about her income or earning her living, so she can still decide in three years when she’s finished studying. I personally can see her doing some modelling when she’s back. I am not sure about acting, mainly because she doesn’t seem to be 100% sure herself.

8. The way Emma treats Rupert in interviews and public appearances
With the exception of this one slip in the interview that should not be named, she always says only the nicest things about Rupert, practically gushing about him. I think it’s genuine and you can just feel that she considers him a good friend and colleague.

9. Emma as a Ron/Hermione shipper
Absolutely yes, without a doubt. She is one of us, so to speak. Endearingly so. Very clear and very vocal about it.

10. Your expectations: Emma in Deathly Hallows I and II, and beyond Harry Potter
Since there will be very intense emotional scenes in both parts, I expect her to do great. As she did in Half-Blood Prince. Beyond that, I’m not sure. Maybe she won’t even come back after her studies. If she does come back to a life in the spot-light I rather see her doing the modelling and photoshoot stuff to be honest. Regardless of my improved opinion on her acting after Half-Blood Prince.