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Emma Watson has taken on diverse roles in her over two-decade-long career. While her portrayal of Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter franchise is unforgettable, the 32-year-old has routinely proven that she can deliver a stellar performance in any role.
That said, fans were not as acquainted with Watson’s incredible range in the early years of her post-Harry Potter career.
Memories of Watson as sweet, intelligent, and witty Hermione were still etched deep in fans’ hearts. It was, therefore, somewhat startling when, three years after Harry Potter closed its final chapter, Watson decided to take on the role of notorious criminal and adult worker, Nicki, in Sofia Coppola’s The Bling Ring.
Here’s why Watson decided to take on a role so incongruent with Hermione so soon after Harry Potter wrapped.
Emma Watson Was Incredibly Eager To Play Nicki In The Bling Ring
Portraying Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter franchise did wonders for Emma Watson’s career. By the time the franchise wrapped in 2010, Watson had gained international recognition, making her one of the most in-demand actresses in Hollywood. However, the actress could not rely on her star power to clinch the lead role in The Bling Ring. In a 2013 interview with GQ, Watson admitted that she had to fight for the role of Nicki in The Bling Ring.
“I actually fought for the role; I really wanted to play it,” she revealed. “First of all, I was a big fan of Sofia's [Coppola]. I'm probably the least obvious choice to play [Nicki], as she's the epitome of everything that I am considered not to be.”
Although numerous filmmakers were clamoring to work with the Noah star, she had her sights set on Sofia Coppola. “I just really wanted to work with Sofia,” Watson confessed.
“I met with her, then I found out she had a script, then I read it, liked it, and then I found out she was interested in me for Nicki. I never chose the role, I chose the director. That's really how I've approached all of my career choices thus far.”
Did Emma Watson Take On The Role Of Nicki To Distance Herself From The Harry Potter Franchise?
After portraying the remarkably scrupulous Hermione Granger for a decade, it seemed inconceivable that Watson would turn around and play a notorious criminal and adult worker.
Despite this incongruence, Watson was convinced the role was right for her the moment she read the script. “When I read the script and I realized that essentially it was a meditation on fame and what it's become to our society, I had to do it.”
As for whether taking on the role was part of a deliberate attempt to distance herself from Hermione, Watson admitted, “It wasn't like I needed to go out there and try to find the furthest part from Hermione, so I could get away from her, because that seems like a negative place to jump off from; trying to get away from something rather than trying to get towards something. What I'm trying to get towards is that I want to be a character actress. I want to play parts. I want to play roles that transform me. Nicki seemed like an opportunity to do that.”
How Emma Watson Transformed Into Nicki For The Bling Ring
Despite being eager to take on the role, Watson acknowledges that there were minimal similarities between herself and Nicki. “We’re polar opposites,” the Noah star admitted to GQ. “The character is everything that I felt really strongly against - she's superficial, materialistic, vain, and amoral. She's all of these things, and I realized that I really hated her. How do you play someone that you hate? But I found it really interesting, and it gave me a whole new insight into what my job, or my role as an actress, could be.”
Despite detesting her character, Watson was determined to deliver a spectacular performance. In her interview with GQ, Watson disclosed that taking pole-dancing lessons was pivotal to her Nicki transformation.
"I took lessons,” she ventured. “When I was preparing for the role, I was studying at Oxford actually. So I had this surreal experience where I was studying the modernists, writing about Virginia Woolf on Friday night, and then driving up to London to take pole-dancing classes on Saturday morning,” she continued. “I was incredibly ungraceful at first. The upper-body strength and the core strength that you need to do it gracefully is crazy. I take my hat off to the women who can do it.”
