Emma Watson in The Perks of Being a Wallflower [UPDATE]

+ MTV video

Emma's interviews:

Watson told Hollywood.com that many of her wardrobe pieces were her own, but she was intimidated by her character Sam’s need for “great style.” (Right, like Watson could ever want for a stylish air.) “A lot of the clothes are actually my clothes. I’m actually wearing one of my grandmother’s dresses, which I got altered … Sam’s style is very interesting. There’s a couple of looks that have been interesting for me to wear, because they’re very all-American. I’m like, ‘Wow, if my friends could see me now,’” she giggled.
[...]
One of the most iconic scenes from the book involves a rather dangerous stunt in a car driving through a tunnel, but it’s something most famous actors probably wouldn’t risk. Watson isn’t most famous actors. “I was not meant to do it at all. I begged Stephen … I ended up doing it like, seven or eight times. The car was going fifty or sixty miles an hour,” she said as we all waited with baited breath. “I had one string. Hands in the air, all the way through the tunnel, coming out the other end. The first time I did it, I was so emotional, I cried. I was really, really special. And seeing the shot, what it’s going to look like—it’s going to blow your mind. I don’t want to build it up too much, but it’s stunning.”
[...]
“[Stephen] really cared about all of us having a good time. He said that at the beginning: ‘I want you to have the summer of your lives.’ And I absolutely did,” she said, with a grin that stretched from ear to ear.

Source: Hollywood

"Ezra and I are not trained dancers, but we both love dance," Watson said with a grin.

"I feel like I've been waiting for 'Perks.' I was waiting for this story, this script, this moment," she continued. "I was a huge 'Harry Potter' fan even before I did the movies, and I thought I would never find a character or material I care about so deeply and personally as I did that, and then this came along and completely swept it all."

"I don't think there will be one teenager who will watch this and not have one story or one moment that they don't deeply feel they can relate to," she said.

Source: MTV

“The shooting schedule’s been kind of crazy and it’s such a great group of people and we’ve all got so close that we mainly just hang out at the Crowne Plaza [the hotel the cast and crew stayed in during the shoot],” Emma Watson told us. “I’m serious. And we play music and pretty much everyone as part of the cast is musically talented in some way so we spend most of our evenings playing music and just talking and just being silly.”

“I’d been reading scripts after the fourth Harry Potter movie around the age of 15, 16 and just really didn’t read anything that I really just loved instantly and then… I read Perks of Being a Wallflower,” Emma said. “I was incredibly moved by it and just instantly knew that the movie had to be made and that I had to play Sam. I really wanted to play Sam and was just really drawn to her so and then when I met with Stephen [Chbosky], we just instantly clicked and it felt like I was meeting an old friend and then I met with Logan [Lerman] and I knew he was the perfect Charlie and it was just a really obvious, obvious choice for me.”

“I’m a little bit OCD in that I like to know. I realized this with Hermione, is that I was such a big fan of the books. I knew everything, I mean I’m like a Harry Potter diction read, I could tell you everything and anything and I wanted to be like that about this movie too,” Emma said. “[Stephen]’s right there for you to quiz, anytime I want to ask him anything and he can create new dialogue with me on the spot and we can adapt and that’s been the great thing about him too is that he’s realized that he is making something new.”

“The cool thing about Sam is that she walks that line between a little bit rocky, but then also she is kind of like a bit preppy and she also is kind of like humorous with her style a little bit as well and she kind of does a little bit of everything, she’s quite eclectic. That was one of Steve’s first notes, he’s like, “she has great style, great attitude, great taste.” So, I mean no pressure, when I walked into costume I was like alright guys this has got to be amazing. A lot of the clothes actually are my clothes that I brought in so I’m actually wearing one of my grandmother’s dresses, which I got altered from like the 80s and I don’t know it’s interesting. I think Sam’s style is interesting,” Emma said.

Source: JJ

Interviewer: What attracted you to this role?
Emma: I really started reading scripts maybe after the fourth Harry Potter movie, around the age of 15, 16. And really didn’t read anything that I really loved instantly. And then, it was almost like, you know, not that I’d lost interest, but my agent was starting to get stressed. Pretty sure, I was kind of “Bleh, do I have to read it.” And then I read The Perks of Being a Wallflower and it was so beautifully written and so funny and so incredibly moved by it, and I just instantly knew that (a) the movie had to be made and (b) that I had to play Sam. I really wanted to play Sam. I was just really drawn to her. And so, then I met with Stephen, who, when I met with Stephen, we just instantly clicked and I felt like I was meeting an old friend. And then I met Logan, and I knew he was the perfect Charlie.

Now did you read the script first or the book?
I read the script first, and then I read the book. It was so funny, I read the script, and I came back around and I told my roommates, “I just read this amazing script, The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” and my friends were like, “Ah, that’s my favorite book. I’m so jealous that you get to play Sam! If I was ever going to be in a movie, if I was ever going to play any character ever, it would be Sam.” And I didn’t realize, but similarly to Harry Potter, the books really have this sort of cult following. So that was really interesting, the response that I get from the people who’ve read the books and really identify with it. It’s really intense. It’s kind of amazing to be part of another book to movie product again that has so much love for it in the same way as Harry Potter.
Do you feel any pressure because there’s such a cult following for the books?
Oh, absolutely. I was very nervous before we started shooting. I was very nervous about the American accent. I was very nervous about the fact that I didn’t know, apparently, the other kids on this movie have had the experiences that, you know, change their characters’ journey in the story, because they went to an American high school, they know what prom looks like, all these little details that I had no idea about. So I was a little neurotic about. My script is covered in notes about, like, all these American words, all this American slang. I was quizzing my friends about high school prom and everything. And then Steve was like, “Emma, this is great and everything but you need to let all that go.” Because he said he saw me as Sam … I don’t know what it was that he saw in me that made him think that it was me. But when I met with him, he had a book. He made sort of like a Bible of what he wanted the visuals to look like and everything, and this was before I’d even met with him, before I’d even accepted [the part], and he had, like, photographs of me all the way through the book and his ideas of what Sam would look like. I knew he wasn’t bullshitting … so that was a big deal to me. … It really meant a lot to me to know that, there was no one else.
What scene have you enjoyed filming the most? Or emotionally resonated with?
For lots of different reasons, but there are bunch of scenes that are just Ezra, Logan and I – Patrick, [Charlie, and] Sam – and we ended up adlibbing a lot and riffing off one another. That’s been really fun. And, I would say, there’s a scene where Patrick and Sam dance at homecoming, and I would say that, but I was really too terrified to enjoy it. Because I had to get up in front of, like, 300 extras and do a two-minute … crazy, like, full-on dance. Which was fun, but also terrifying.
What was it like going from a huge franchise like Harry Potter to a smaller film like this?
It’s different, but I love it. The pace is much faster, the hours in the day are full on, I have no time to get anything else done, other than basically go home, eat, sleep, shower, get ready for the next day. That’s it really. My life is being here and my work. It’s really full on. But everyone gets so close because we’re on location together, and apart from that, you have to fit more into the day. I loved it. I don’t know if I want to go back.
The scene going through the tunnel, can you talk about that?
Hands down, one of the best moments of my life. I mean, Summit really didn’t want me to do the stunt. I was not meant to do it to all, but I begged Stephen, “I really, really want to do this.” And he’s like, “All right.” And I ended up doing it seven or eight times. The car was going at 56 miles an hour, [my] hands in the air all the way through the tunnel, coming out the other end. First time we did it, I cried. It was really, really special. And seeing the shot, what it’s going to look like, it’s going to blow your mind. I don’t want to build it up too much, but it’s stunning. It’s stunning. And Steve knew when he conceptualized it, that it would be amazing, but I think he exceeded his expectations to what a great movie moment it would be.
I know J.K. Rowling was involved a lot in the Harry Potter movies. But what’s it been like having the author of the book actually as your director?
Best ever. I love it. Stephen’s vision is so pure, he knows exactly what he wants, exactly how it is. I can ask him anything. And I’m a little bit OCD … and I realize, with Hermione, that I was such a big fan of the books, I knew everything. I’m like a Harry Potter dictionary. I could tell you everything and anything. I wanted to be like that with this movie, too. And I could just write down questions anytime I wanted to ask him anything. And he could create new dialogue with me on the spot and we can adapt. And that’s been the great thing about him, too, is he’s realized that he is making something new. It’s obviously going to be true to the book, but he understands that the movie is different, he’s creating something new with actors.
That was the first thing I really felt when I first met him. I really feel like he gets me. So working with him has been amazing. He knows exactly how to get the performance that he wants from me. Even if it’s just, he’ll say to me between takes, “Emma! Emma, don’t smile.” And of course I’ll break out and start laughing … There was a scene that we did where I receive a letter from Charlie where he says he thinks that I’ll get into Penn State. And it’s really moving to Sam. And I’ve been doing it for like four takes, and the envelope’s just empty, I’ve been reading it. And then Stephen wrote to me a letter inside of that. And then that was the take that, of course, he chose to keep. And of course, what he wrote was very meaningful to me. So he’s been like, it’s been … it’s not just been great as an actress … he really cared about all of us having a good time. He said that in the beginning, “I want you to have the time of your life.”

Source: NovelNovice

"Steve got us all together one night and we all went to the Pittsburg floorshow and it was hysterical. We had so much fun. It was great," Watson said, adding, "We were all hiding on the balcony so there was nothing like [the typical Rocky initiation], but we did throw toilet roll at people in the audience and stuff like that."

"It's kind of amazing to be part of another movie project again that has so much love for it in the same way that Harry Potter does."

"The kids on this movie have had a lot of the experiences that pertained to their characters journey and story. They grew up, they went to American high school, they know what prom looks like, all these little details that I had no idea about so I was a little neurotic and my script was covered in notes about all of these American words, American slang… I was quizzing my friends about high school and prom and everything."

"I guess as an element of paranoia for me [is] that directors would maybe bring me on before because of the huge following Harry Potter has or for some other reason like that, so it really meant a lot for me to know that there was no one else for this role. That was really nice to know," she told us.

She described the tunnel scene as "[h]ands down one of the best moments of my life, definitely," adding, "Summit really didn’t want me to do the stunt. I was not meant to do it at all and I begged Stephen. I said I really, really want to do this. He was like, 'All right.' I ended up doing it like 7 or 8 times. The car was going 50 or 60 miles per hour. I had one string, but it was hands in the air all the way through the tunnel coming out the other end."

It sounds like it's even more spectacular to do it than to read or watch it, too. Watson described it to us. "The first time I did it, I was so emotional, I cried. It was really special and beautiful, and seeing the shot of what it's going to look like, it's going to blow your mind. I don't want to big it up too much, but it's stunning, it's stunning. And Steve knew when he conceptualized it that it would be amazing, but I think it exceeded even his expectations of how what a great movie moment it is."

Source: Fandango

Cast, director and journalist mentioning Emma:

Ezra Miller:
"I had sort of a crazy realization, which was four years ago I was reading this book, thinking of myself as Charlie. And here I am, four years from that point, 18 years old, the same age that my friends were when they were recommending the book to me. Look—I would have played Sam if given the option. Given all the options, fuck Emma Watson! [Laughs] Should have been me! But I settled for Patrick, the second best character."

”They should have thrown me someone a little harder to handle so it could have been a bit of a challenge. Emma’s one of the most severely mind-blowing forces of my peer group in acting right now. Based on what’s come before this, people just have no idea what she’s capable of. She has become in these short weeks one of my dearest friends. I think that will be the case forever. And she is the type of artist who is going to make her true self known in time. I personally look forward to watching an entire population of Harry Potter fans get their minds twisted into small pretzel-ish knots over what this girl can do.”

“I must’ve listened to each of the Jim Dale voice recordings of the Harry Potter books maybe like a couple hundred times each. And that means like putting in the hours everyday, and that’s what I did after school, was just like listen to those books on repeat. You know, here’s what it—here’s what I essentially believe. Here’s what— something that’s very exciting about Emma—truly being such a magical artist— is that, that book strikes a core of human beings all around—all over this world. Those books do for a very specific reason—which is that like, we all feel innately that we are capable of very, very, very wonderful, magical things and that’s not validated in this culture—in this society—and thus the, you know, the ration of people who are actually acting upon these abilities that we have I feel like gets smaller and smaller and—but, you know, the reality is that we have those capabilities and that, you know, Emma—who plays Hermione Granger— has those capabilities as an artist. She is what we look at and say ‘magician.’ [laughs] You know? She is that. So yeah, Harry Potter was important for me but fortunately it’s been—it hasn’t even crossed my mind at any point working with Emma. No, not even for a second because she is quite her own entity.”

In the book, Patrick and Sam have this deep connection so how has it been working with Emma and establishing that connection?
Oh man. Far too easy! Unjustly easy! They should’ve thrown me someone a little harder to handle so it could’ve been a bit of a challenge. You know, Emma’s one of the most severely mind-blowing forces of my peer group in acting right now and I think—I think based on what’s come before this, people just have no idea. You know, no idea what she’s capable of. She has become in these short weeks one of my dearest friends—I think that will be the case forever and she is the type of artist who is going to make her true self known in time and I personally look forward to watching an entire population of Harry Potter fans get their minds twisted into small, pretzel-ish knots over what this girl can do. That’s exciting to me. [Laughs]

Logan Lerman:
"She's a brilliant actress, and this is a great debut for her outside the 'Harry Potter' series,"

"She's great. She's really a great person and easy to work with and a fantastic actress. [I am] a big fan of Harry Potter. Yeah, it's really exciting to see her outside of the series and what she's able to do. She's not only pulling it off, but she's blowing people away with her performance."

Nina Dobrev:
"This has been a really great choice for Emma, and the role couldn't be more perfect for her. It's different than 'Harry Potter.' She's showing everyone in the world that she's got a different side of her and that she's not just this one character. She's kicking butt and taking names."

Mae Whitman:
"We sat around in those Rocky Horror outfits for like four days—just like everything hanging out. I wouldn't say it's too risqué, but it's definitely more Hermione than you've ever seen before."

"I was so excited. I mean, I just. I read every [Harry Potter] book, like, got them at midnight, when they came out, and dressed up. It was definitely a big deal. I fully released tidbits to [Emma] about how I excited I am, to be working with her. But, I don’t want let it all come at once, or she’ll get a restraining order. It’s going well, going well so far."

"Emma Watson is just awesome! I mean, I've been a fan of hers for a long time - before Harry Potter - just her whole career seems great to me. And she's the best kind of person to be around. Everything about her, she's very classy and artistic and I just love her!"

Johnny Simmons:
"She read the book and became obsessed with it. She heard they were making the movie and approached them about it. We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her."

"Emma got behind this movie, and after coming off the Harry Potter series said, 'This is the movie I want to make.' She went around to every person in Los Angeles and said, 'This is what I want to do next.' I think everybody would agree that without her, it wouldn't have happened. We were very lucky to have everybody on the set."

Erin Wilhelmis:
"I couldn’t believe I was going to get to meet her [Emma]. She was so sweet and really helped me feel so comfortable on set. My sister literally grew up with the “Harry Potter” books. I remember my dad reading them to her before she knew how to read. She helped me to become a fan, but my sister is the ultimate fan. We both loved the character of Hermione, so it was very exciting to get to work with Emma. But Emma definitely breaks free from Hermione in this film. She is so talented and I can’t wait to watch her in many different roles to come."

"One moment in particular really meant a lot to me – we were shooting a scene that was actually cut from the final version of the film – but in it, Emma was supposed to tear up and I was supposed to be upset with Charlie (Logan Lerman). I was worried about one of my takes and she turned to me and said, “All I have to do is look at your face while you’re saying your line and I’m able to get my motivation to cry.” I don’t think she knows how much that meant to me, but it really helped me to calm down and trust myself."

"Ezra – insane (in a good way), Nina – passionate, Logan – talented, Mae – focused, and Emma – generous."

Stephen Chbosky:
"I wanted Emma for Sam because I think that she has this, an amazing -- you know, she's luminous, but she's also incredibly approachable, she's very down to earth, she's very fragile but in this very beautiful way. And to me, that's all the qualities I saw in Sam. Plus, she can dance. The girl can dance," he said, referring to her scenes at school dances and in Rocky."

"I met the castmembers through the audition process — Emma was an offer. I knew she was Sam. That was easy."

"I'll never forget the first day I brought Emma, Logan and Ezra and myself together. We had a beautiful dinner over the city, then I took them for the first time to the tunnel, I took them through playing this song called "Happiness" by Riceboy Sleeps and that was our bonding experience. Ezra and Emma bonded by learning all the dance moves to Rocky Horror for the homecoming dance. And then, as we introduced each castmember came to Pittsburgh to start doing their work, the kids just found each other and they made the Crowne Plaza hotel — which was literally 150 yards from the mall where I used to shop as a kid — they made it like a dorm, and they got in a lot of trouble."

“He [Ezra] instantly bonded with Emma. I think he just took it upon himself to become her big brother, in a sense, to become her protector. I’ll never forget how close they were when they were doing the film.”

Journalist:
"One of the funniest moments during our time on set came while we spoke to Nina Dobrev. Unbeknownst to us and the other journalists on set, Emma and Ezra decided to dance around in the background and try to make Nina laugh, but she didn’t break at all! Nina said that moments like that were some of her favorite while working on the project."