Emma Watson. AP
These days, instead of asking celebrities for their autographs, star-struck fans usually opt for selfies instead.
But if you manage to come across Emma Watson one day, don’t expect her to strike a pose with you or show off her pearly whites.
On Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila) the 26-year-old “Harry Potter” star told Vanity Fair how she manages to maintain a semblance of privacy—which often comes in extreme compromises including a complete ban on selfies with eager fans.
“For me, it’s the difference between being able to have a life and not,” the British actress said. “If someone takes a photograph of me and posts it, within two seconds they’ve created a marker of exactly where I am within 10 meters,” she explained.
“They can see what I’m wearing and who I’m with. I just can’t give that tracking data,” she added.
Despite her somehow snobbish approach, Watson insisted that she remained open to interact with admirers in other ways.
“I’ll say, ‘I will sit here and answer every single Harry Potter fandom question you have, but I just can’t do a picture,’” she said.
Watson has been in the Hollywood spotlight since 2001, playing Hermione Granger in the film adaptation of the successful Harry Potter franchise.
Although strictly keen on maintaining her privacy, the Paris-born star said she makes exemptions from time to time.
“I have to carefully pick and choose my moment to interact,” she shared. “When am I a celebrity sighting versus when am I going to make someone’s freakin’ week? Children I don’t say no to, for example.”
Watson will be seen playing the iconic role of Belle in Disney’s live action adaptation of “Beauty and the Beast,” which is set to be released this month.
Apart from her numerous film projects, she is a gender-equality advocate and was appointed as UN Women Goodwill Ambassador. Khristian Ibarrola /ra