Emma Watson: 'I want to be the person who feels great in her body'

IT'S A NEW LIFE

It's a decade and eight Harry Potter films since Emma Watson, 21, first appeared on our screens as Hermione Granger. Beyond the phenomenon of the films, she has been establishing herself as an icon of fashion and beauty. Face of Burberry, dressed by Lagerfeld, ambassador for Lancôme – the list goes on. And in between she even found the time study at an Ivy League university. With two new films, My Week With Marilyn and The Perks of Being a Wallflower coming up, the young British actress is quietly establishing herself as an enduring talent in a post-Potter world.

IN HER WORDS

Emma on avoiding the limelight: 'I'm not comfortable being the centre of attention. When I'm not working, I'm just trying not to stand out.'

On her short crop: 'I'd never been allowed to cut my hair off, so I just seized the first opportunity. It wasn't meant to be rebellious – it certainly wasn't my Britney Spears moment.'

On feeling confident: 'I don't want to look like everyone else. I don't have perfect teeth; I'm not stick thin. I want to be the person who feels great in her body and can say that she doesn't want to change anything.'

On the next step: 'I'm going to go travelling – a sort of gap year, condensed into a few months. Don't think I'm going off to find myself, though. I already know who I am.'

Read the full Emma Watson interview in the November issue of ELLE, out on 5 October 2011