Emma Watson Says the Promotion Side of Films Is What She Finds “Soul-Destroying”

22 September 2025

Emma Watson discussed her recent decision to step away from acting in a new interview. (Vianney Le Caer / Invision / AP)

Emma Watson has spoken out about the part of acting she has come to resent most saying that while she deeply misses the craft of performing she does not miss the demands of promoting and selling her work. In a rare interview with Hollywood Authentic published September 21 she reflected on her break from major acting roles since her 2019 appearance in Little Women and detailed how the glamour of the red carpet and media appearances often overshadowed what she loved about being an actor. She said that the process of pushing a film in front of the public feels “soul-destroying” especially when so little of her time is spent doing the part she actually enjoys acting itself.

Watson explained that once the cameras are rolling she can forget everything else and be fully present in those moments where scene after scene draws her in. She described that intense feeling of being on set as meditative because all she can see is the moment she is in and not the outside world. She misses that immersion in character in rehearsals in talking through scenes and in carrying forward ideas to embody them. She admitted that’s what drew her to acting in the first place and what she still craves.

She also spoke about how stressful promotion has become describing a recent experience helping a friend in a small play where there was no big audience or media and yet she still felt the pressure. She said that even when the stakes are lower she recognised how much the promotional side demands energy and how much it drains the experience. She contrasted that with the rare freedom she finds in going to film festivals simply to watch others’ work without having to sell anything.

Watson said that by stepping away from the spotlight she has gained space to reconnect with loved ones and focus on personal wellbeing. She said that they were perhaps the healthiest she has ever been and that this distance has allowed her to live without needing to maintain a public persona that is constantly polished. She reflected how over time the energy required to promote work to the public began to outweigh the joy of creating it.

Despite having acted in some of film’s biggest titles and growing up in the limelight courtesy of Harry Potter Watson said she feels fortunate with what she has been able to do. She conceded that much of her success was unusual and that she felt she “won the lottery” in entering the industry in a way she did. But she also said the business side of acting often takes artists into spaces where they feel disconnected from their art. For Watson the problem is not acting itself but all the machinery that comes with making art into a product.

The actor also hinted at future projects saying she is exploring “something I've never done before” though she offered few specifics. Even so she seems clear that going forward she wants the work she chooses to align with her values and give her enough control over the parts that matter to her. She seems more interested now in what makes her feel fulfilled rather than what is expected of someone with her name and legacy.

Emma Watson’s words strike a chord partly because so many in creative fields feel similarly about the cost of visibility the price paid by those in the public gaze. Her honesty about missing the art but rejecting the selling side of her work invites reflection about what truly sustains artists and what wears them down. It is a reminder that creativity often demands a balance and that sometimes stepping back is not retreat but safeguarding what makes the work matter.