Mentions of Emma Watson in the media [February 16 - 22, 2015]

• Top 99 Outstanding Women 2015 nominations:

She is nominated among the Power Players. Click on the image if you want to vote. *whispers* psst, J.K. Rowling is also nominated among the Influencers.

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• How Harry Potter star Emma Watson became worth millions of pounds:

Emma Watson shot to fame at 10 years old, as the bookish Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films.

Now aged just 24, she’s worth an estimated £30million, according to the Sunday Times Rich List.

Who knows how much that equates to in Knuts, Sickles and Galleons? For the uninitiated, this is the wizarding money used in Harry Potter’s magical world. The fantasy novels by JK Rowling chronicle the adventures of young wizard Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) and his sidekicks Ronald Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger. The trio are all students at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and the film adaptions have turned the three actors into superstars.

Watson wanted to become an actress from the age of six and trained at the Oxford branch of Stagecoach Theatre Arts, a part-time theatre school. She appeared in various Stagecoach productions and school plays but her first professional acting job was in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone when she was just 10-years-old.

The film was released in 2001 and was an instant hit, as fans of the book (published in 1997) flocked to the cinema.

The eight-film franchise is thought to have earned Watson something in the region of £20m. However, she didn’t have access to most of the money until her 18th birthday in 2008. Prior to that she received a £50 a week allowance from her parents. She was shocked when her parents sat her down for a “money conversation” and found out she was a multi-millionaire. To help her cope with new found wealth she enrolled on a money management course run by the Queen’s bankers Coutts.

Watson stole the show in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and was nominated for five awards for her performance, winning the Young Artist Award for Leading Young Actress. The film broke box office records for opening-day sales and was the highest-grossing film of 2001.

Watson went on to reprise her role as Hermione in the subsequent seven Harry Potter films, released between 2002 and 2011.

Off the back of the films’ success, Watson became the youngest actress to grace both the covers of Teen Vogue (2005) and Tatler magazine (2007) and has since appeared on covers and in magazines such as V, Italian Vogue and Elle.

Watson’s earnings peaked in 2009 when she was paid £10m for the final two Harry Potter films, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows parts 1 and 2. The following year, aged just 19, she was named Hollywood’s highest paid actress by Vanity Fair magazine ahead of more established talent such as Sarah Jessica Parker and Angelina Jolie. The magazine estimated Watson earned £19m in 2009 alone.

This figure was boosted by a blossoming modelling career, which saw Watson swap her Hogwarts scarf for Burberry check. She signed a six-figure contract with the fashion brand in 2009 and was shot by celebrated fashion photographer Mario Testino for a TV and magazine advertising campaign.

Wholesome Watson, and her younger brother Alex who also modelled in the campaign, has been credited with saving Burberry from its “chav uniform” reputation. Burberry’s creative director Christopher Bailey was quoted as saying Watson had a “classic beauty, a great character and a modern edge.”

When Harry Potter finished filming in 2010 Watson considered quitting acting rather than attempt to make the awkward transition from child star to adult actor. She eventually decided to continue and combined further films with both education and a modelling career.

Free from the constraints of Harry Potter, which meant she couldn’t cut her hair or get a sun tan, she transformed her image with a chic pixie haircut. Her next big modelling contract was with make-up brand Lancome in 2011 while film credits include My Week With Marilyn (2011), The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012), The Bling Bling (2013), and Noah (2014).

Between 2011 and 2014 Watson split her time between working on film projects and continuing her education, studying at Brown University in the US and Oxford University in the UK. She graduated with a BA in English literature in May 2014.

What has Watson been spending her fortune on? Much of it is in property – she owns a £1m ski chalet in the French resort of Meribel, as well as a £3m townhouse in Hampstead in north London. However, like many girls of her age, she admits to splurging on clothes and make-up.

So, what’s next for Watson? Last month saw her announce that she’ll be joining Disney's forthcoming live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast as the lead character Belle.

"I'm finally able to tell you … that I will be playing Belle in Disney's new live-action Beauty and the Beast! It was such a big part of my growing up, it almost feels surreal that I'll get to dance to 'Be Our Guest' and sing 'Something There,'” Watson wrote on her Facebook page, “My six year old self is on the ceiling — heart bursting. Time to start some singing lessons. I can't wait for you to see it.”

The film is set to begin shooting later this year.

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• Harper's Bazaar's 25 Inspiring Women Who Changed The Face of Feminism:

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• People Tree Summer collection used to raise money:

Fashion conscious sixth formers from Harrogate’s Ashville College will be taking to the catwalk later this month to fund building supplies to help upgrade an African orphanage.

The 17 and 18 year-olds from the independent school are staging a fashion show – featuring new collections and “upcycled” prom dresses – to help pay for the materials needed for different renovation projects.

Every other year a party of sixth formers from the school visits the Open Arms charity in Malawi, where they help out with a number of schemes. The charity, which was started by former Ashville teacher Neville Bevis and his wife Rosemary more than 20 years ago, runs two orphanages in the townships of Blantyre and Mangochi.

Being held in the Soothill Hall on Saturday, 28 February 2015 at 7pm, Models for Malawi will see students showcasing the People Tree’s summer collection designed by Harry Potter actress Emma Watson, and bespoke clothing by Eliza Wyke Couture and Catherine Smith Vintage.

And, with the annual sixth form school prom just a couple of months away, up to 20 donated prom dresses modelled on the night will then be put up for sale.

In addition, the evening will also feature stalls to purchase goods from The Body Shop and Traidcraft, with music being provided by the Ashville College Jazz Band.

Organiser Jess Frieze, 18, said: "Open Arms Malawi is very close to Ashville’s heart, and this fashion evening is being held to help pay for items such as paint, bricks and cement. I’m extremely grateful to all those who are helping support the event – suppliers and classmates alike. Whilst it has been hard work, it promises to be a great evening. The more tickets we sell then the more building supplies goods we can purchase."

Tickets are priced at £10 adults and £5 concessions. Tickets are available from Ashville College main reception, Green Lane.

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