The actress speaks about finding her identity through Harry Potter.

Emma Watson has opened up about the importance of her Harry Potter character Hermione Granger, saying she ‘gave her permission to be who she was’.

The actress spoke about finding her identity through the character in a candid interview with Paper.

“I started reading Harry Potter when I was 8 – I just really identified with her,” Watson said.

“I was the girl in school whose hand shot up to answer the questions. 

She added: “I was really eager to learn in an uncool way. In a super uncool way, actually… 

“It was really interesting because at first, despite the obvious similarities, I guess I was also trying to detach my sense of self from the image,” Watson went on to say.

“It was such a delicate time – I was 10 or 11 when the first movie came out – I was trying to figure out what my own identity was, but I didn’t really have one yet.”

The actress continued: “At first I was really trying to say, ‘I’m not like Hermione. I’m into fashion and I’m much cooler than she is,’ and then I came to a place of acceptance. 

“Actually, we do have a lot in common. There are obviously differences, but there are a lot of ways that I’m very similar. And I stopped fighting that!

Finally, she added: “The character of Hermione gave me permission to be who I was.”

Meanwhile, Watson recently announced that she’s taking a year off acting to focus on her “personal development” and her feminism campaigns.

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