Is it true that Emma Watson spoke out about being bullied at university because of her role in Harry Potter?

For many years, a story has been circulating on social networks about the bullying of the performer of the role of Hermione. According to the posts, Watson did not go to university for some time, because for every correct answer her classmates jokingly gave “Gryffindor points.” We checked whether such an attitude towards the actress took place.

There are many variations of the plot about ridicule of Emma Watson on the Internet, and the most popular of them can be found on the Pikabu website, where the publication dialed more than 9,000 pluses with 347,000 views at the time of writing the analysis. There the story is told as follows: “Emma Watson once said that she had to be absent from university for a week because every time she answered something, someone shouted: “Three points for Gryffindor (the house where Hermione Granger studied. - Ed.).” However, there are posts where some details differ. For example, often in this story, instead of three points appear ten. Sometimes the decision that the actress made, unable to withstand the bullying, is also different: either she left the educational institution for for a while, or took a sabbatical leave (including for completion work on "Harry Potter"), or Watson in general I had to leave the university. In some records, on the contrary, don't mention, that the actress left classes and that she herself talked about bullying her classmates.

The story about Watson is very popular in public pages on VKontakte, including Netflix (515,000 views), "Series"(110,000), "Factura - blog" (52,000), "England | English language" (38,000), "Superhero cafe"(30,000), "TV series 24/7 | Squid game"(25,000), "I spend my life on movies"(25,000), "One more episode and sleep" (24,000) and "DKino"(13,000). The abuse of the actress was also reported on some entertaining websites and in Telegram channels (examples here, here And here).

British actress Emma Watson started started her career with the film adaptation of JK Rowling's Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) and played in the film franchise for a decade until Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II (2011). Her heroine, the sorceress Hermione, was different from other main characters with a special attitude towards studies: she received high grades, read a lot and liked to do homework, so she was considered a know-it-all. At Hogwarts School, where the main action of the books and films takes place, houses were awarded points for successfully completing various tasks, and at the end of the year, the winning house was awarded a prize.

In 2009, during the filming of the Deathly Hallows duology, Watson toldthat he plans to study at Brown University (its campus located in the American city of Providence), where eventually arrived. Her decision to study abroad she explained because she liked the course at Brown and the idea of ​​experiencing another country and culture. On March 7, 2011, on her official website, the actress announcedwho takes a break from studying:

Hi all!

As you know, I love Brown and love studying more than anything in the world, but lately I have been so busy and busy with work that being a student and keeping up with my other commitments has become a little impossible.

I decided to take a short break to completely finish work on Harry Potter (the final part comes out this summer) and focus on my other professional and acting projects. I will still be working towards my degree, but it will take me a semester or two longer than I expected.

I hope you are fine!

Thank you for your continued support.
Emma.

Autumn 2011 it became knownthat the actress will study English philology for a year, specializing in program at Wooster College, incoming to the University of Oxford. In May 2014, Watson still graduated from Brown University with a BA in English Literature.

The story of Watson being mocked began in 2011, when she was taking a sabbatical from Brown University. For example, on April 25, 2011 on the Kinopoisk website wrotethat in the fall the actress will study at another university. It was reported that, according to the official version, Emma wanted to study a subject that was not taught at an American university. At the same time, insiders said that the real reason was the bullying of fellow students: “Whenever the actress answered questions from teachers, she heard a phrase like “Three points for Gryffindor” - depending on the quality of the answer. Fellow students also made caustic comments about Emma’s appearances at the local American football team’s matches.”

“Verified” was unable to find any interview where the actress complained about bullying at the university. On the contrary, on Watson's personal website writtenthat she loves Brown University (this can be judged from the quote above), and in a conversation with Porter magazine, the Harry Potter star admittedthat the decision to study in the USA helped her open up and accept herself. On April 29, 2011, in a post on his official website, Watson refuted bullying reports:

Hi all!

I guess I need to tell you all that the reason I'm missing a semester at Brown University has nothing to do with bullying as the media has recently suggested. I've never been bullied in my life, and it certainly never happened at Brown. There was no incident with "ten points to Gryffindor». I had to say this because blaming Brown students for something as serious as the bullying that caused me to leave seems unfair.

Please don't try to guess what I'll be doing in September - no one can know because even I don't know yet! Like my fellow students, I'm trying to figure out what my third year will be like and whether I'll be spending it abroad (this is common).

Hope you all enjoyed it new trailer "Harry Potter». I'll be heading to Pittsburgh soon to start working on the film. "The perks of Being a Wallflower». I just recently returned from meeting Stephen Chbosky (director and writer), Logan [Lerman] and Ezra [Miller] (the other two leads) and I already know it's going to be an incredible experience. I'm very lucky.

Hope you all are doing well.

Take care of yourself
with love, Emma.

In the summer of 2011, in a conversation with the publication Sunday Times Style Magazine Watson again refuted rumors about leaving the university due to ridicule:

I felt so sad when these rumors came out that I left Brown because I was bullied. This doesn't make any sense. At Brown it was the other way around. I was never asked for an autograph on campus. I threw a party for almost a hundred students and not a single person posted a photo on Facebook*. In any case, even if it was hard for me, I would not leave the university because of what someone in the corridor told me "Wingardium Leviosa» (one of the spells in the world of Harry Potter. - Ed.) or "ten points to Gryffindor». I've been dealing with the press since I was nine years old. If I can't deal with a few people giving me trouble, that's just pathetic. I have had more serious situations.

The earliest news item about bullying of an actress appeared April 21, 2011 on the website of the New York Daily News, which was subsequently referenced by other English-language publications. The newspaper published the words of several anonymous sources, one of whom said that Watson’s fellow students accompanied her correct answers with quotes from Harry Potter (the most popular option was allegedly the phrase “three points for Gryffindor!”). Also, according to a certain student from Harvard, during a football match between the Harvard and Brown teams, other Harvard students also shouted quotes from films with her participation at the actress. Another insider said Watson's new roommate was forced to sign strict confidentiality agreements before moving in with the star. It was not possible to find independent confirmation of these reports from the publication’s anonymous interlocutors.

Thus, Watson herself never spoke about bullying at the university and, moreover, according to her, did not interrupt her studies because of it. On the contrary, the actress has repeatedly denied such rumors. Someone probably made up a story about bullying that, due to multiple copies and a long time as a result of the “broken phone,” received several versions and differing details.

*Russian authorities think Meta Platforms Inc., which owns the social network Facebook, is an extremist organization; its activities in Russia are prohibited.

Cover photo: still from the film “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”

Not true

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