Emma Watson talks decision to step away from acting: 'So glad that I did'
Watson said she now has her "own voice" and "more autonomy" than ever before.
Emma Watson is "so glad" she stepped away from acting in recent years.
The actress, who most recently appeared on the big screen in Greta Gerwig's 2019 adaptation of "Little Women" and on the small screen in the "Harry Potter" 20th anniversary special, opened up about the decision in new interview with British Vogue.
"I'm just so glad that I did [step away from acting] because I have this feeling of having my own voice and creative space and sovereignty in some way that I don't think I did before -- more autonomy," she said.
Watson was just 11 years old when the first "Harry Potter" film was released in theaters back in 2001 and she became forever known as Hermione Granger to fans around the world, and she told Vogue that her characters have often felt "much realer" than herself.
After starring in the massively popular "Harry Potter" franchise, Watson went on to appear in films like 2011's "My Week with Marilyn," 2012's "The Perks of Being a Wallflower," 2013's "The Bling Ring," 2014's "Noah" and Disney's live-action remake of "Beauty and the Beast" in 2017.
"I'm so glad that I allowed things to be messy for a minute and to really allow myself to not know [what's next], because the knowing that I've come to, I wouldn't trade that for anything," she said.
Watson admitted that her success in Hollywood gave her "a front row seat [with] some of the most successful, beautiful, incredible people in the world," but she came to realize that wasn't enough if she wasn't satisfied in other parts of her life.
She explained that "when you have that seat, it becomes very, very clear that there is just absolutely no level of success that will make you in any way happy or content if you do not like who you are or enjoy what you're doing when no one's watching."
Related Stories
ABC News Live