A Magical Transformation

Actress Emma Watson, Like Hermione, Is Full of Surprises

Dressed in a short black dress and long black boots, Emma Watson looked more like a fashion model than a schoolgirl as she chatted at a posh hotel in London, England.

With co-stars Rupert Grint and Daniel Radcliffe, the pretty teenager was there to talk about "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," the fifth movie based on J.K. Rowling's wizard books. (Opening today, the Warner Bros. release is rated PG-13 because, as Emma says, some of it is "bloody scary!")

Like the characters they play -- Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley and Harry Potter -- these actors are no longer kids, but not quite adults. Like much of the rest of the world, they are anxious to know their fates, revealed in the book that will be published next week. But even these famous actors don't get a sneak peek at "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."

Emma, now 17, chatted with Bridget Byrne about her studies, how her co-stars have changed and what the future holds for her after she makes the final Potter movies.

How difficult is it to fit in schoolwork?

"It is pretty difficult to do such a big film, which is so time-consuming, and then juggle my schoolwork as well. So I have to be really dedicated, I guess. But it's something I really love doing."

Do you still attend a regular school?

"Yes, when I am not filming I go back to my regular school, so I can see my friends."

How do you keep up friendships while working?

"You definitely have to make a conscious effort to keep in touch with people, but it's not too hard. I text a lot; I'm on the phone a lot; I e-mail."

What surprises you most now when you see how you looked as Hermione in the first movie, "The Sorcerer's Stone"?

"I guess my appearance. . . . They really wanted me to look sort of nerdy and really sort of stay true to Hermione, but then after the ball scene in the fourth one ["The Goblet of Fire"], they thought they'd not try so hard to sort of geek me up."

And what surprises you most about how Hermione has changed?

"I guess in this one it's a bit of a shock how rebellious she is."

What do you understand now about acting that you didn't understand when you first played Hermione?

"I didn't understand anything. I had never done any professional acting before. So, it's been about learning even simple things, like you need to be really careful obviously never to look directly into the camera. At first, I made that mistake a couple of times."

What has surprised you most about how Daniel and Rupert have changed?

"Rupert's a lot taller and a lot broader. He's very broad now! Both of their voices have broken. Stubble! Facial hair! . . . You know, just generally they are bigger."

You say you love to sing. Would you like to make a musical movie?

" 'Moulin Rouge' or 'Chicago.' I would love to do something like that."

Have you had any singing lessons?

"I had a couple of lessons awhile ago, but it's always just been something that I do. I sing in the car. I play music and always sing along. I never really thought about it before, but now when I'm in the hair and makeup chair, or on set, and I'm humming or singing along to the radio, people say, 'You just really should do something with that.' "