Emma Watson has always captivated audiences, not just with her brilliant performances but also with her courage in speaking out on important issues. Recently, during a podcast interview with Jay Shetty, the actor reflected on her “bone-breakingly painful” experience of making friends in Hollywood.
Emma Watson reveals setting unrealistic expectations of friendships in Hollywood after ‘Harry Potter’
Emma Watson took a break from acting after appearing in the 2019 movie, Little Women. In a podcast interview with Jay Shetty, she shared her experiences with the challenges of forming long-lasting friendships in the entertainment industry.
During their conversation, Shetty asked Watson about her decision to pull away from acting in 2019. He asked if she took a break to “heal” or because she no longer “felt a compulsion.” The 35-year-old shared that she wanted to reconnect with herself and find a new rhythm in her life.
Watson revealed that earlier, she didn’t have the “space” to express what she wanted to. And she spoke her voice through performances. Now that she’s become more “healed and comfortable” with herself, she asks herself if she still needs to act. The Beauty and the Beast actor explained that this is also because she no longer feels the “urgency to do it.” She said she now has spaces where she can take those feelings without performing on camera.
The English actor further reflected on her experience of making friends in Hollywood. Watson revealed, “I was coming to those sets with an expectation that I think I had developed on Harry Potter, which was that the people I worked with were going to be my family and that we were going to be lifelong friends.” She continued, “I came to work looking for friendships and that was a very painful experience for me outside of Harry Potter sets and in Hollywood, like bone-breakingly painful.”
The actor revealed that most people “don’t come to such environments” for friendships. Instead, for them, this is their chance to do something big, and they are very “focused.” She highlighted that since she didn’t share the same mindset, she found the rejection of her friendship quite painful.
When asked if this was about friendship rejection, she said yes. “It’s so unusual to make a set of films for 12 years, and we were a community. We really were. And so I took that as an expectation into my other workplaces, and I just got my a** kicked. I really did,” Watson continued.
The host further asked her if there was any hierarchy or competition, to which Watson replied, “It was a combination of both.” Watson accepted that she’s not “thick-skinned” and built for these “highly competitive environments.”
Emma Watson’s bittersweet experience highlights the highs and lows of Hollywood, where navigating relationships can be unexpectedly challenging.
