Emma Watson biography

In 2007 Emma Watson starred in another film based on a children's novel, Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfield. The film was aired on BBC One, and with Watson in the lead role, garnered decent, if not stellar, reviews.

In 2008, Watson branched out into animated work, voicing the character of Princess Pea in The Tale of Despereaux.

Though they spent their adolescence on film sets, Watson and costars Radcliffe and Grint kept up with their lessons,

with five hours of tutoring each day.  She took high school equivalency exams, and made high scores in every subject. Watson took a year off from school to film the final two Potter movies, but maintained that she was committed to furthering her education.

Watson has tried hard to shed her child star image, one that's so closely tied to the Potter franchise. “I have lived in a complete bubble. They found me and picked me for the part. And now I’m desperately trying to find my way through it,” she said in an interview with Vogue.

New Directions

As a teenager coming of age as an established movie star, Watson has also emerged as a fashionista. Her style has caught the eye of many major figures in the fashion industry. "I love fashion. I think it`s so important, because it's how you show yourself to the world," said Watson.

In September 2009 Watson announced that she was working with People Tree, a fashion label that promotes fair trade.  Watson catapulted into the world of high fashion and modeling when she was chosen as the face of Burberry's Autumn/Winter 2009 collection, and again for the 2010 Spring/Summer collection.

Watson took fans by surprise when she chopped off her long locks, and debuted a pixie haircut in August 2010. The new 'do helped her shed the child star image of her Potter days, and in July 2011, Watson graced the cover of Vogue. The next month, she starred in a commercial for Lancôme perfume.

Maintaining her commitment to her education, Watson enrolled as a freshman at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island in the fall of 2009. Watson claimed she chose an American university over a British education because the American system allows students to study many subjects at once. Brown was also a place, Watson said, where she could more easily blend in. “I want to be normal,” she said. "I really want anonymity."

In March 2011 Watson announced that she was deferring her schooling to work on the Potter finale. In July 2011, Watson announced her plans to return to Brown for a year to complete her degree after studying at Oxford University in the fall.

Whatever Watson chooses to do in the future, she has a head start on her peers, having earned $15 million a piece from just the two most recent Harry Potter films. Watson starred in The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012), one of the many projects that she's taken on after the conclusion of the Harry Potter series.

© 2013 A+E Networks. All rights reserved.