Emma Watson spoke about her six-month driving ban on spiritual influencer Jay Shetty’s Wednesday podcast, On Purpose with Jay Shetty. For those unversed, on July 16, 2024, the 35-year-old actress’ driving license was banned for six months following a speeding incident. Watson addressed the issue for the first time on Shetty’s recent podcast.
Emma Watson reacts to her 6-month driving ban
Emma Watson finally addresses her six-month driving ban controversy on Jay Shetty’s podcast. The Harry Potter star, who has been on a sabbatical for a couple of years now, made a rare appearance in the spotlight on Jay Shetty’s podcast on Wednesday.
The actress spoke about various issues, including her recent fondness for biking. She joked that she took a liking to cycling as a hobby even before her six-month driving ban, but it has now become an integral part of her everyday life.
Steering the light-hearted banter towards a more serious topic, Jay Shetty remarked that Emma Watson’s driving penalty stirred a controversy and became “mainstream news.”
Watson solemnly replied (via New York Post), “I was getting phone calls. Like, it’s on the BBC, it was on international, worldwide news! I was like, ‘My shame….’ It is everywhere.”
She also added that she received many messages from people who said the same thing had happened to them and described it as a terrible experience.
Furthermore, Emma Watson shed light on the larger context of the issue, which stems from Hollywood and its way of working. The Little Women star revealed that actors have to drive to work themselves and that “they literally will not insure you to drive yourself to work” (via PEOPLE).
Hence, the actress confessed that she started driving more out of compulsion than choice, and clearly lacked the skills and experience to be a good driver then. However, she is much better now and will exercise caution in the future.
Notably, Emma Watson’s last acting project was the Greta Gerwig-directed Little Women, released in 2019. She has been on a hiatus since, focusing on her other personal ventures.
Originally reported by Anwaya Mane for Mandatory.
