Hermione is set to hop on the express to Oxford University and return to the campus!
33-year-old Emma Watson has enrolled in a part-time Master’s program at the university, majoring in creative writing. She revealed during an interview with the Financial Times in April that she began writing poetry during the pandemic lockdown, sparking her love for writing, and crafted essays on themes of love, friendship, and intimate relationships.
Donning a black gown, white shirt, and black ribbon, she discreetly attended the formal matriculation ceremony at Oxford Sheldonian Theatre last Saturday. One student even jokes, “This is the first time I’ve seen her in a gown since the Harry Potter movies.”
Thanks to the magic of computers, she only needs to personally attend the university four or five days a year, with the rest of the coursework completed online.
Emma has had a longstanding connection with Oxford University. Having grown up in Oxford, she spent a year at Worcester College at Oxford during her undergraduate studies in English Literature at Brown University in the US in 2011. Moreover, in 2016, her role in Beauty and the Beast led her to become a Visiting Fellow at Oxford Lady Margaret Hall, where she was invited to partake in debates and speak at the college.
Before the shooting of Harry Potter began, the director asked the three young actors (Harry, Ron, Hermione) to write a character biography: Daniel (Harry) wrote about a page, Rupert (Ron) didn’t write at all, while Emma (Hermione) wrote a thick stack! This little anecdote has been shared over the years, and everyone can’t help but admire the director’s casting insight. Emma, who played the on-screen academic whizz, is equally impressive in real life. In her 2008 A-Levels, she scored A grades in English, Geography, and Art. Despite several interruptions in her studies due to filming, her determination to continue education seems to have never wavered.
Hermione was depicted as the most diligent and intelligent student in her class, but perhaps, it’s persistence that’s the true magic both on screen and off.
Photo source: Daily Mail, Wallpaper Flare, Stable Diffusion