Emma Watson INTERVIEW – How to FACE YOUR FEARS & SUCCEED

Almost every project I've done since Harry Potter, I've felt really, really scared to start. Oh my God, if I don't do this, nothing else makes sense. Like, I don't want to spend my time doing anything other than making sure that this movie gets made. They say that every saint, you know, has a past and every sinner has a future. And it's so true.

What's up, Believe Nation? It's Evan. My one word is believe, and I believe in you. And I want to see that great thing that you have inside of you come out so you can help change the world. So to help you on your journey today, we're going to learn from actress, model, and activist Emma Watson and my take on her top 10 rules for success. Rule number 9 is my personal favorite, and I'd love to know which one you guys like the best. And as always, guys, as you're watching, if you hear something that really resonates with you, please leave it down in the comments below and put quotes around it so other people can be inspired. And when you write it down, it's much more likely to stick with yourself as well. Enjoy.

What I love about Belle is that she's kind of— if you look at her within sort of the category of those Disney characters, she's kind of the rogue. She's a— she kind of like, she takes a different course. That was always what I loved about Belle. Like, when I think about Belle, I think about her singing Belle Reprise, which is her sort of coming out of her house and singing this song, which is just kind of like bursting out of her, which is, you know, I know everyone around me can't understand why I don't want what everyone else thinks that I should want and which is being handed to me, but I really just want something more. I want something else. Like, I don't— this doesn't fit, I don't fit. She kind of, like the Robert Frost poem, she takes the road less traveled. And I always really identified with that. She's— Belle is no sheep. She's really on her own, just on her own path.

She's friends with sheep, though.

She's friends with sheep. She is friends with sheep, but she's on her own thing. And there's this, like, defiance. And I just— that energy, that spirit was really what I identified with in her. Being a child star, as they call it, or having worked as a minor, you do sort of have to be aware of the kind of trajectory and also kind of aware that people are viewing your performances through a very different lens. I saw a really interesting article yesterday that, you know, People had seen the trailer and they're like, "Oh, you know, Emma Watson, like scandalous, like really trying to push the envelope and step away from Hermione in Harry Potter and whatever else." And it's like, "I'm just kissing someone," you know? And it's kind of like this huge deal. And it's so, you know, you're aware of that, but you also, I don't like to try and let all of that noise affect my choices and my decisions because ultimately if you live like that, then you, you know, I think it would, it would close me off to a lot of opportunities and, and experiences. There's a lot of young actors and musicians today, they, they kind of spin out of control a little bit. Why are you so good at just like making— your career is amazing and you're just making the right decisions all the time. Oh, thank you, that's really, that's really nice to hear. Um, I guess I just I've just been really lucky in the sense that I've been offered a really diverse and interesting range of roles. And I've just tried to do things that slightly terrify me every time, I guess. I mean, almost every project I've done since Harry Potter, I've felt really, really scared to start. So I've just kept trying to challenge myself, really. I play Nikki in The Bling Ring. And how can I explain Nikki? Nikki likes yoga and juice cleanses. And she teaches pole dancing. She's this very complex girl and character. Style of the shoot was kind of boyish, kind of '80s, and it's kind of like nothing I've done before. To research the part, I learnt pole dance, I watched a lot of reality television, I did yoga, I did a lot of thinking about how you'd get into the mindset where you would think that stealing is okay. It was really important to me that I I felt like I understood her and I could relate to her and she felt like a real person.

You had a choice. I mean, you went to college and you had a choice then to either continue acting or pursue something else. You majored in English literature, is that right?

Yeah.

What made you decide that acting was then gonna become the main event and not just something you used to do?

Perks of Being a Wallflower.

Really?

Really. Yeah, it's so funny because I went to college and I was genuinely kind of like, well, I'm gonna go study and then I'll I'll kind of like, I'll see what happens. And then Steve sent me the script for Perks of Being a Wallflower, and I went and I sat down with him, and it just reignited this. I was like—

Had you read the book before you read the script?

No, I hadn't. So I read the book, and it just gave me this weird compulsion. I was like, I have to tell this story. You know, I— oh my God, if I don't do this, nothing else makes sense. Like, I don't want to spend my time doing anything other than making sure that this this movie gets made.

I must go to Pittsburgh.

I must go to Pittsburgh. I must get funding for this movie, you know. And it's like— and it was really strange because I just didn't know coming out of Harry Potter whether I was going to feel that way about anything else for a long time, you know. I had loved performing and I had loved acting, but really a big part of the passion for me was that I would just loved those stories and I wanted to be part of that world. I loved that, who that character was, and It wasn't so much for me about the idea of being an actress. It was the idea of, like, I just want to be part of this and Perks and working with Steve and feeling that I had something else to give and offer was what really— is what really did that for me. Everyone has a story. Everyone has— people tend to judge and interpret behavior without going to the source of that behavior. Like, they say that every saint, you know, has a past and every sinner has a future. And it's so true.

You can't—

I don't know. People can change and people make mistakes and people are human, and you kind of need to love them for that. And I hope that people take that away, finding a way to love their imperfections. And love themselves. And really, you can't truly accept other people until you accept yourself, and you can't really accept yourself until you accept other people. It kind of all weirdly goes hand in hand. And when you show kindness and compassion for yourself, then you're able to extend it, and it's all— it's all inextricably linked. You've made these movies, you've been working on them, but also you've done so well with all your grades.

This sounds kind of odd now, but you've got A's in all your GCSEs, is that right? And in your A-levels as well?

Yeah. Wow, congratulations.

That must be really hard to be studying when you're filming.

Yeah, um, it was tough.

It was really tough. I felt very torn a lot, but, um, it was so worth it. You know, I'm so excited about going to university, and, you know, I just— I want to have my cake and eat it. I want the best of both worlds. I want to do everything. The difficulty with me is I'm interested in so many different things. I can never really imagine myself doing one thing, and I'm pretty sure I'll end up doing 4 or 5 different things. I want to be a Renaissance woman. That's my, that's my thing. I want to paint and I want to write and I want to act and I want to just do everything.

How do I drop my career and become an actor? What do you think?

That's awesome!

You seem like the kind of person you would want to watch. I want to be a film director. Do what you love and make films about what you love. You can argue yourself into making decisions decisions that don't have heart behind them, and they're never the right ones. Just always follow the thing that feels the most right to you. There's something about humor to me which speaks to humility, which, which speaks to, yeah, to being humble, to being human, to— it's such a way to connect people. And I think as long as you're not taking yourself too seriously nothing can go too badly wrong.

Now obviously, talking at the UN is an incredibly nerve-wracking thing to do, I imagine. I mean, I can only imagine. I haven't actually spoken at the UN yet. They haven't asked me yet. But what was the mission statement? What was going through your head on the morning of that speech? What was the mission statement you wanted to get across?

I guess I really wanted to communicate that gender equality historically has been predominantly a women's movement for women. But I think the impact of gender inequality and how it's actually been affecting men hasn't really been addressed. So I really wanted to make that one of the clearest messages in my speech.

Men don't have the benefits of equality either. We don't often talk about men being imprisoned by gender stereotypes. But I can see that they are, and that when they are free, things will change for women as a natural consequence. If men don't have to be aggressive in order to be accepted, women won't feel compelled to be submissive. If men don't have to control, women won't have to be controlled. Both men and women should feel free to be sensitive. Both men and women should feel free to be strong. It is time that we all perceive gender on a spectrum instead of two sets of opposing ideals. If we stop we stop defining each other by what we are not and start defining ourselves by who we are, we can all be freer. And this is what HeForShe is about. It's about freedom. I want men to take up this mantle so that their daughters, sisters, and mothers can be free from prejudice, but also so that their sons have permission to be vulnerable and human too. Reclaim those parts of themselves they abandoned, and in doing so, be a more true and complete version of themselves. You might be thinking, who is this Harry Potter girl and what is she doing speaking at the UN? And it's a really good question. I've been asking myself the same thing. All I know is is that I care about this problem, and I want to make it better. And having seen what I've seen, and given the chance, I feel it is my responsibility to say something. Statesman Edmund Burke said, "All that is needed for the forces of evil to triumph is for good men and women to do nothing. In my nervousness for this speech and in my moments of doubt, I've told myself firmly, if not me, who? If not now, when? If you have similar doubts when opportunities are presented to you, I hope that those words will be helpful, because the reality is that if we do nothing, it will take 75 years, or for me, to be nearly 100, before women can expect to be paid the same as men for the same work. I am inviting you to step forward, to be seen, and to ask yourself, if not me, who? If not now, when?

Thank you very, very much.

How did you feel after you'd done it? Did you feel like you absolutely got every point across? Did you feel that that was a nice, lovely moment?

It felt like one of the most surreal moments of my life, I have to say. I remember at the end of it seeing people start to stand up, and it was like something from a dream or a film, or I thought maybe I died, and it was weird. It was just really surreal.

I can confirm you didn't die.

I didn't die, um, but kind of a little bit. I felt like I could— I still sound really cheesy, but I felt like I could sort of die happy, like I'd sort of done on kind of what the most important thing I might ever do. I had— I was shaking, I was so nervous, but at least I got it out there. Like, I'd managed to voice the words.

I'd managed to get it out.

I have to ask, you're an amazing freestyler. Yes. You can just do this.

And you're an amazing beatboxer. This is great.

He's lying. He's lying.

I'm—

okay.

What I said was I'm happy to freestyle if you beatbox.

If I beatbox? Okay, but show me how. What am I doing?

Okay, just— well, first let's just see. No instruction.

Oh no.

Just from what you've seen. I know you've seen a lot of beatboxing. I'm sure they were beatboxing on set during those movies. Every young man tries it.

At English school kids, that's all we do all the time. We just beatbox. Okay, this is going to be so bad.

It's going to be awesome.

Do I cover my mouth?

Yeah. Just for my sake. Yeah.

I do this just so I don't spit at you?

Yeah, yeah, sort of like the spit guard.

This is gonna be so embarrassing.

Okay, what am I freestyling about?

Gender equality.

Fantastic.

It's International Women's Day. It's HeForShe.

Yeah.

Gender equality, feminism.

Are you a feminist? Yeah, absolutely.

Love that.

Great.

Yeah, we—

Okay, back to this. We can talk in a minute. Okay, so what kind of beat do you want? Slow or fast?

Uh, whatever you got.

This is going to be bad.

This is going to be amazing.

Okay, perfect.

Yeah, yeah, it's lame and I have to laugh. How can we not be equal? We're like half— like women are like half of the people on Earth, and yes, they should have been equal since birth. That means all day, every day, equal pay every way. Oh Are we really okay? Oh my gosh, yo, this beatboxing is fantastic. Beast, where to find him? Yo, I'm drastically changing the narrative. Look at it, you kept going! And oh my gosh, I love watching this keep flowing. Holy cow, this is such a meme. Thank you. This is the beatbox dream team.

I'm so embarrassed right now. I'm literally the color of like a tomato. I'm so red.

That was amazing.

Oh my gosh. Thank you for having me. Thank you.

That was the best ever.

Yeah.

Oh, love you. Thank you.

Beatboxing.

Everyone go see the play and no one ever asks me to do that ever again.

Thank you guys so much for watching. I made this video because Roddy Jenny asked me to. If there's a famous entrepreneur that you would like me to profile next, check out the link in the description and go and cast your vote. I'd also love to know what did you learn from this video that had the biggest impact on you? What lesson are you going to take and immediately apply it somehow in your life or in your business, leave it in the comments below. I'm really curious to find out. I also wanna give a quick shout out to Robert Pagliarini. Robert, thank you so much for picking up a copy of my book, Your One Word, and tweeting at me and giving me that really kind message. I really, really appreciate the support, and I'm so glad that you enjoyed the book. Thank you guys again for watching. I believe in you. I hope you continue to believe in yourself and whatever your one word is. Much love.

I'll see you soon.

Handing off Hermione Granger to Noma Dumezweni on Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. You've met her and talked to her. What were your conversations like about Hermione?

It was so emotional seeing Noma's performance in a way that I had not anticipated. At all. I went to the play, like, really just like, oh no, this will be great, I'll be interested to see, and didn't even realize until she walked in the room and just spontaneously just burst into tears. It was such an emotional moment for me, I can't tell you. But it made me— it was such a relief because I think I'd played that character so intensely up until that point. To know that Hermione was it's gonna be okay. I know that sounds crazy, but like, to know that everything turned out all right and the world— everything in the world was okay, and that there was someone else carrying her on and carrying her forward, and it was just such a relief. It made me so happy because otherwise, I don't know, playing someone that— I mean, we get that little flash forward at the end of the last film. But playing someone that kind of just gets stuck in time at 20 years old, 19 years old, was like, no, like I wanted her to have a future.

Well, you see so many years of her life back to back to back and then nothing. So it was sort of a relief. You obviously care a lot about the character.

Yeah, it was a relief. It was a relief.

Now, did you have any conversations with Paige O'Hara who voiced the character?

I didn't know.

I didn't. Animated days?

You know, it's interesting, I've done a few movies where I play, you know, someone's played my character before, or that, you know, my character exists in real life, and I've always chosen, I've always chosen not to. I think because in the act of creation, you do, you want to make sure that you're, that you're bringing something individual and original. And a big part of it was wanting to stay faithful to the original telling. And I think— I hope we really got the balance right of being like, "Okay, we're gonna offer you some new stuff that you've never seen before, but we're also gonna give you the heart of the original." It's really quite shocking, really, for her, 'cause it's just something so out of character.

We've never really seen that side to her before.

Look who's here.

Ah, come to see the show?

You! You foul load of them evil little cockroaches!

Hermione, no! Oh, Malfoy!

Are you okay?

Such a good moment. And the fact that she hits him with a fist and it's not like a spell or something, it's actually like a physical hit, there's something very satisfying about that.

I actually originally said in the script that Hermione slaps Draco. I think they were worried that a punch was gonna be a little too physical. So I said to Emma, "Do you wanna run this? We should rehearse it. We should make this as convincing as possible. Slap me." She's like, "No, I'm not gonna slap you." I said, "Go on, slap me right now. Let's just do this, do the motions." And when I said "slap me," I was like, "Movie slap me." I'm not really sure.

I feel terrible. I feel really bad. I'm not really sure what I was thinking.

She just went— and just smacked me right across the face, which completely took me— I didn't know what to do. And I was just like, "Yeah, that was really good. That was great." And kind of walked off sheepishly.

Oh!

Oh, honey!

Malfoy, are you okay?

Let's go!

That felt good.