Emma Watson: "Belle felt like my transition from Hermione to playing a woman"

Transcripted by Watsonuncensored. Credit if you use it.

What has been the best part of working with Alejandro Amenabar?

I think just the fact that he's so ego-less, he's just really collaborative. He really cares about the work, he wants to work as a team, he's very respectful of the people that he works with and he just has such a clear vision and, as an actor, that's such a gift because you feel like you're helping the director to achieve something really specific and it's very satisfying.

As one of the most active speakers of equality, how do you see this time when it's one of the hottest topics in Hollywood?

I'm just pleased people are talking about it. I'm just pleased people are even acknowledging that there's an issue because it felt like for a long time, no one could even see what was really going on. I mean, something like 12% of directors are female. I just think of these crazy numbers, but it didn't feel like people were really caring and it feels like we've entered a phase now where, as you say, it's a hot topic of conversation, the problem is being acknowledged, people are trying to work out solutions and that's really exciting to see some progress and to feel a sense of momentum behind that.

What would be the main differences between your 'The Beauty and the Beast' and the animated classic?

I can tell you that there are three new songs that Alan Menken has written for the film. There's new music and I think it just goes a lot deeper into things, it's just much more layered, it tells part of the story that perhaps were missing in the animation because it's shorter so that's really exciting and it was so fun to get to sing. I'd never done it before and it was wonderful. I got to dance and I got to ride a horse and I got to sing and it was just like, you know, jI got to learn so much and take away so much.

It's been 15 years since you were announced as Hermione. What's your best memory of that magical journey?

I think... It's hard to choose one because there are so many, but... You know, I was a child and I loved those stories, and as a child to get to live, to get to be in the world that you so dream of getting to be part of, it just really magical and, you know I said I was so young it kidn of almost felt like play pretend sometimes and it was just, it was really magical in that sense. I guess, wrapping on Beauty, that did feel like a nice little completion of a circle in a way. That I had started with this role of a child and then somehow that film really felt like my transition to playing a woman and womanhood and, you know, I just feel, as an actress, to get to play two of your own personal heroins is very unusual I think, and quite special.

If you were asked to shoot a cameo for 'Fantastic Beasts', would you be excited to do it?

It's so difficult to say. I'd have to see what, you know, what it was. I doubt that would happen. I doubt very much that would happen.