“They can see what I’m wearing and who I’m with”: Emma Watson Called Thousands of Harry Potter Fans Who Idolized Her as Obsessive ‘Rule-Breakers’ Who Steal Her Tracking Data
Taking a selfie with Harry Potter star Emma Watson, who played the iconic character of ‘Hermione Granger’ in the film, is worth a lot to a Muggle. But don’t expect to get one easily on your phone.
The actor explained why she strictly prohibits taking selfies with fans in an interview published in the 2017 issue of Vanity Fair. She does this because she wants to establish limits and some semblance of privacy for herself. She claimed that the Harry Potter fandom was quite intense and that she was forced into it when she was 11 years old, so it makes sense.
She used to refuse to take selfies as one strategy to cope with the crippling anxieties brought on by fame at a tender age. Emma Charlotte Duerre Watson aka Emma Watson, is another celebrity who fits the description of being very private. She reportedly paid a bodyguard six figures to protect her privacy and security.
Even though Watson generally declines fans’ requests for photos, she does make a few exceptions to her strict policy.
Why does Emma Watson refuse fans to take selfies?
Celebrities usually differ in their opinions about whether to sign autographs or pose for photos, as we’ve seen in the past. Unexpectedly, The Bling Ring star has her own set of guidelines on the subject and isn’t amenable to having her picture taken in public. It may sound harsh, but she does have a point. The Harry Potter star explained,
“For me, it’s the difference between being able to have a life and not. If someone takes a photograph of me and posts it, within two seconds they’ve created a marker of exactly where I am within 10 meters. They can see what I’m wearing and who I’m with. I just can’t give that tracking data.”
The Perks of Being a Wallflower continued by saying that as long as it doesn’t reveal her location, she’s willing to have a casual conversation with a fan. But typically it won’t get any further than that.
Thankfully, there is an exception to Emma Watson’s no-pictures rule that does not apply to her kids’ fans. She is aware of the immediate mood-lifting power of taking a picture with kids.
Emma Watson prefers chatting over selfies for ‘privacy concerns’
Emma Watson had a special upbringing that included major stardom thanks to Harry Potter. She quickly discovered that her success because of the franchise wasn’t at all typical because the movies and books developed a life of their own among devoted fans.
The English actor and activist told Vanity Fair, “I don’t know how to explain it, but the Harry Potter phenomenon steps into a different zone. It crosses into obsession. I had to accept that this is not an average situation.”
Though, the 32-year-old maintains her privacy but isn’t shy about speaking with her fans. She offers her fans to have a conversation in place of a selfie because it’s better than a picture. The Beauty and the Beast actor says,
“I’ll say, ‘I will sit here and answer every single Harry Potter fandom question you have, but I just can’t do a picture.” She does, however, add that, “shockingly, many people decline her offer if it doesn’t include a photo.”
Thus, Watson values maintaining the secrecy of her personal life despite her fandom and notoriety.
Source- Vanity Fair
