Emma Watson: my fashion sense is boring
Harry Potter star Emma Watson told French Elle magazine she thinks she plays it too safe in the style stakes.
BY Belinda White | 30 January 2012
Nobody can accuse Emma Watson of being a wild child - in fact, one of the most amazing achievements of the Harry Potter cast is how they have managed to grow up in the spotlight and remain so resolutely normal. But when it comes to her image, she can be quite the daredevil.
After wrapping the final instalment of the mega-franchise, she was straight down the hairdressers to chop off Hermione's trademark fuzzy mane and reinvent herself as a red carpet fashion plate, dripping in the hottest labels.
In pictures: Emma Watson's greatest fashion hits
Her petite, model proportions and English rose looks - not to mention her brand-enhancing power - have secured her a place at the top of most fashion designer's must-dress list and scored her a handful of collaborations and campaigns to boot.
But in typically British self-deprecating style, Emma has revealed to French Elle magazine that she thinks her style off the red carpet is dull and fears that she plays it too safe.
"My problem is that I am a little bit boring. I do! n't wear designer bags or big sunglasses," she said, "When I don't have to play Emma Watson in public, I'd rather not put myself 'out there'. I have to be more careful with my look in my everyday life."
The 23-year-old actress and Oxford undergraduate, who most recently starred opposite fellow child star Michelle Williams in My Week With Marilyn, also explained why she accepted her current role as the face of and ambassador for Lancme when she is paradoxically protective of her privacy.
"Someone asked me why I accepted this job, as I wanted to stand in the shadows. Actually, I gave up the idea that I could become anonymous again!" she said.
Video: Emma Watson's debut Lancme ad
"Before, I used to insist on taking the bus or the underground as a way of rebelling against my fame. But, at one point, you have to give it up. Last year, in Bangladesh, I came across a really poor village, made of dried mud shacks. A little boy dressed in rags asked me, 'hey, aren't you the girl in Harry Potter ?'"
Watson's first ad for the French cosmetics label saw her running through the streets of Paris with a mystery boy, and was shot by renowned photographer, and the man behind Emma's Burberry campaign, Mario Testino.
"I would have never lend my image to a brand if I didn't feel in perfect harmony with it! Lancme embodies everything I like: France, where I was born, quality and stars who I admire for their sincerity and charm, like Julia Roberts or Penlope Cruz," she explained.
"And, most of all, Lancme allowed me to work the way I wanted to. I appreciated that a lot."
