Emma Watson Opens Up About 'Big Decision' to Step Away From Hollywood

In a new interview with British Vogue centering around the actress' work in sustainable fashion, Watson opened up about taking a break from acting to focus on some of her other passions.

Since making her last film, Little Women, in 2019, Watson has tried her hand at directing and enrolled in a creative writing MA program.

The decision to explore these other creative outlets wasn't any easy one, with the Harry Potter alum telling British Vogue that there was a fair amount of uncertainty that came with doing something different to the career she's been accustomed to since the age of 10.

"Because I'm in a career that moves very quickly, the decision to take time to do these things felt like a very big decision," Watson said. "[Choosing] to go back and write and study and get behind the camera was terrifying for me because I'd never done it before. I had always been in front of the camera; I'd always been an actor."

She continued, "I'm just so glad that I did [step away from acting] because I have this feeling of having my own voice and creative space and sovereignty in some way that I don't think I did before – more autonomy."

Watson, 33, said that while things were "messy" for a while, she couldn't be happier for where she is now on the other side of all that uncertainty and in a place of "knowing."

"I'm so glad that I allowed things to be messy for a minute and to really allow myself to not know [what's next], because the knowing that I've come to, I wouldn't trade that for anything," Watson added.

The time out of the spotlight has also allowed Watson to figure out what truly brings her happiness, adding that she was forced to learn not just who she was but what she enjoyed doing when "no one's watching."

"I get a front row seat [with] some of the most successful, beautiful, incredible people in the world," The Bling Ring actress said of Hollywood's inner circle. "And when you have that seat it becomes very, very clear that there is just absolutely no level of success that will make you in any way happy or content if you do not like who you are or enjoy what you're doing when no one's watching."

These days, that includes what Watson has deemed "the basics," playing pickleball, collecting stickers and hanging with her dog, Sofia.

"I just look at her and I'm like, 'Well, I'm happy and you're happy.' The thing that is so amazing about animals is they're just so good at being. Food, humans, sleep – they're very good at the basics. I feel like whenever I get really overwhelmed, I'm like, 'Emma, just do the basics.'"

Keeping the rest of her private life as such, Watson did take a moment to clarify her comment on being happily "self-partnered" during her last British Vogue cover interview in 2019.

"[It] wasn't necessarily about me celebrating being single. Getting to the point when I was 30, I was realizing, 'Oh, maybe I've figured out some things about how to care for myself better – maybe quite well, actually.' And taking pride in that."

As for returning to the big screen, Watson's not ruling it out by any means, she just has a few more things to do behind the scenes first.