Beauty and brains — Emma Watson proves that you can have it all.
The Harry Potter star graduated from Brown University on Sunday with a bachelor’s degree in English literature and shared her accomplishment with her fans by tweeting a cap-and-gown selfie.
Watson began her freshman year at the Ivy League school in 2009, and also studied at England’s Oxford University as she continued to make movies while pursuing her degree. In regard to her pursuit of higher education, the 24-year-old actress admitted that she was nervous about trying to get along with her peers.
“On the first day, I walked into the canteen and everyone went completely silent and turned to look at me,” she told The Sunday Times in March. “I had to say to myself, ‘It’s okay, you can do this. You just have to take a deep breath and gather your courage.'”
Her prominent role as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter franchise made it impossible for her to go unnoticed. “I was in denial,” she said in a 2011 interview. “I wanted to pretend I wasn’t as famous as I was. I was trying to seek out normality, but I kind of have to accept who I am, the position I’m in and what happened.”
Watson’s fears dissipated eventually. “I’ve never even been asked for an autograph on campus,” the actress said. “I threw a party for nearly 100 students and not a single person put a photo on Facebook.”
As for her decision to attend Brown University, Watson said “I really like the fact that it has a very open curriculum, that there aren’t any requirements. Really, I’ve kind of been in charge of my own education since I started out on Potter when I was 9 or 10, and I liked that I could design my own major if I wanted to, and I could take independent studies if I wanted to on subjects that weren’t necessarily in the curriculum.”
During her years in college, the brunette beauty shot the final two Harry Potter movies and starred in The Perks of Being A Wallflower, The Bling Ring as well as Noah.
Watson has already started work on Regression, a thriller co-starring Ethan Hawke, but her other plans are uncertain. “When I finish my degree, I will have a lot more time to pursue other passions, and I want to figure out what those will be. I love having something completely unrelated to the film industry. I want to find something that will let me use my brain in another way. I like connecting people who aren’t part of that world, too.”
