Getty
"I think I felt a bit caged," said the actress, who hasn't appeared in a film since "Little Women" in 2019.
Emma Watson is opening up about her nearly five-year-long absence from Hollywood.
In a recent interview with the Financial Times, the "Harry Potter" alum shared why she hasn't acted in years, and revealed whether or not she will again.
Watson, 33, was last seen in 2019's "Little Women," which wrapped filming in late 2018.
Getty
Daniel Radcliffe Welcomes First Child with Longtime Girlfriend Erin Darke
View Story"I wasn't very happy, if I'm being honest," she admitted. "I think I felt a bit caged. The thing I found really hard was that I had to go out and sell something that I really didn't have very much control over. To stand in front of a film and have every journalist be able to say, 'How does this align with your viewpoint?'"
"It was very difficult to have to be the face and the spokesperson for things where I didn’t get to be involved in the process," Watson continued. "I was held accountable in a way that I began to find really frustrating, because I didn't have a voice, I didn't have a say. And I started to realize that I only wanted to stand in front of things where if someone was going to give me flak about it, I could say, in a way that didn't make me hate myself, 'Yes, I screwed up, it was my decision, I should have done better.'"
When asked if she plans on returning to acting, Watson said, "Yes, absolutely. But I'm happy to sit and wait for the next right thing. I love what I do. It's finding a way to do it where I don't have to fracture myself into different faces and people. And I just don't want to switch into robot mode any more. Does that make sense?"
Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.
"The Bling Ring" star -- who was promoting her and her brother Alex's new gin brand, Renais, -- also discussed working behind the camera. Watson wrote and directed a Prada campaign last year.
"People always told me I should direct and produce, even when I was on Potter," she recalled. "I was worried it was just technical, not creative, and I couldn’t bring what I think is probably my skill set. It was only Alex coming to me with this, and friends asking for favors -- 'I need to do a photo shoot' or 'I'm making a video' -- that made me realize I actually know quite a lot about that. Being a director seemed unattainable. I don't think I had any confidence in that. I know it seems weird. I mean, I grew up on a film set."
Watson also revealed that she's going to direct a music video for a seemingly popular artist. While she didn't name names, she shared, "You will definitely have heard of him."
