Critic Says Emma Watson Is Too Pretty To Play Hermione In “Harry Potter”
Posted by: Catherine Strawn
Filed in:
entertainment
12:50PM, Monday July 13th 2009
“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” will hit theaters this Wednesday, July 15, and we can barely contain our excitement. We haven’t seen the film yet, but New York magazine reviewed it, saying some pretty nice things. One aspect that writer David Edelstein took issue with was how good-looking Emma Watson has become. While he says all three main protagonists have all grown up and matured, Edelstein doesn’t think Emma fits as Hermione anymore—she’s not nerdy and awkward enough.
But Emma Watson’s Hermione has turned out disappointingly. It’s not Watson’s fault she grew up so pretty, so poised, with such luscious tresses. But someone ought to have reminded the filmmakers that in this boy-centric universe, Hermione is the nerdy-wonky cutie with whom all girls, hot and not, could identify. Now she’s just another cover girl. I found myself wishing for more of the washed-out blonde Evanna Lynch and her glassy singsong as the space case Luna Lovegood, the last female reminder that Harry Potter began as a universe of misfits.
It’s a shame Edelstein takes issue with Emma’s looks. When the first Harry Potter film was produced, the casting directors were completely gambling how the kids chosen for Harry, Hermione, and Ron would develop as they went through puberty and grew up. Emma Watson certainly is a looker, but let’s not criticize her for that. Despite what tends to be depicted in pop culture, women can be pretty and still want to spend their free time hanging out in the library. If there’s an issue with Emma’s performance, fine. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case.
After looking at promotional photos for “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” my only issue with Emma’s Hermione is that her hair is styled to perfection in loose ringlets. It’s not as bushy as it is described in J.K. Rowling’s books. As Edelstein wrote, the filmmakers should have worked a little harder to make her appear a less polished. But maybe it’s just that the characters are older now, and Hermione has simply learned how to control her uncooperative mane with proper conditioning and a boar bristle and nylon hairbrush. [NY Mag]
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RachelSmiles
wrote on July 13 2009 @ 12:57 pm: [report]
i have to agree with the NY magazine. that is the biggest thing about Hermione. her hair is always the one thing that is described about her physically and they havent kept to it. they could have figured out a way to make her cute and have crazy hair at the same time.
Chebs
wrote on July 13 2009 @ 12:57 pm: [report]
Emma Watson’s hair as Hermione is about all I disagree with, and that’s not really her fault. Hermione’s “transformation” at the ball in Goblet of Fire really fell flat because she had looked great the whole movie. At least it looks like they cut the boys’ hair. I watched GoF last night, and the shaggy style they had was not doing them any favors.
Riley
wrote on July 13 2009 @ 01:03 pm: [report]
This comes down the same argument for every popular book turned movie. You get the camp that wants to run a movie verbatim to the book series, and the camp that is just enjoying the story being told on the big screen. The Watchmen tried that and somehow the movie fell on its face because they took a good graphic novel and took no creative latitude with it, just to satisfy people that wouldn’t like it anyway.
Keep Emma Watson looking good in the movies; no sense in uggifying her to please a vocal minority.
Tim
wrote on July 13 2009 @ 01:08 pm: [report]
I agree the character physical beauty (by virtue of bad hair, etc.) might be played down some. I think that would have added much more power to the ball scene where she should have been “transformed” more dramatically…could have been more dramatic.
However, I like that she’s a female “nerd” and beautiful. Where is it written that a female “nerd” has to be plain and unattractive? Where is it written, conversely, that a beautiful woman cannot be smart and “nerdy”? I don’t mind them playing with that stereotype at all. I think they have done a fair job having the character not flaunt beauty due to their intellectual intensity and focus. But no, I don’t think she should NOT be playing the part because she’s pretty.
notaslacker
wrote on July 13 2009 @ 01:47 pm: [report]
seems to me that the books didn’t portray hermione as unattractive, because she obviously beautified herself for the ball. it was more that she thought the effort put into looking beautiful on a daily basis was frivolous, or not worth her time. in that sense, the movies are changing her personality as opposed to her capacity to clean up nice, and i think that’s what has critics a little miffed.
tattooed_redhead
wrote on July 13 2009 @ 02:12 pm: [report]
OY. I agree with the hair bit; I’ve always been disappointed that they didn’t do the crazy, bushy hair described in the books, but really, criticizing her on her looks? Give me a break. The girl is a good actress, so I guess her appearance is the only thing this loser could find to critique.
metricula
wrote on July 13 2009 @ 02:19 pm: [report]
She plays the part well. I don’t care about her hair. She’s not flaunting around how adorable she is the whole movie so the Hermione personality is unchanged.
She never looks made up in the films. Just naturally pretty.
jimnist10
wrote on July 13 2009 @ 03:07 pm: [report]
Well, let’s not forget that in the first 2 movies, her hair was bushy and all the kids wore uniforms. That was under Chris Columubs. Starting with Prisoner of Azkaban, the movies became darker under Alphonso Curaon and I suppose more about the story and less about the details, because the kids were rockin’ Abercrombie and American Eagle and not their regular school robes as they previously did and as they do in the books. AND the adults also are wearing normal clothing. Hello?! Mr. Weasley is supposed to look ridiculous wearing Muggle clothing and yet in the movies he’s wearing them from start to finish looking fairly “parental”. And, yes, Hermione became prettier, but seriously, it’s the director’s aesthetic and the directors after Curaon weren’t going to be the ones to “ugly” up Emma Watson after she looked so cute in “Prisoner of Azkaban.” Besides, who really cares? I’m down with Hermione being a pretty nerd anyway.
dudette
wrote on July 13 2009 @ 03:45 pm: [report]
It annoys me when fans of books adapted into movies expect it to be exactly the same. Its an entirely different thing and i think directors can have some leeway without too much criticism. Its another VERSION of the story. that being said i think harry potter bridges the gap well with sticking to the general story lines and characters while maybe slightly changing the wardrobe or other minor plot points.
mayorbubbles
wrote on July 13 2009 @ 06:26 pm: [report]
emma is a great actress and perfect for the part of hermione… but it just annoys me that the hair isn’t right. She’s more blonde than brunette for one, and two, it’s always perfectly kempt. It is natural beauty not like, makeup etc. Also, they mention in the book a zillion times that harry has messy black hair and bright green eyes >.> that gets on my nerves too.
whatever. it’s not going to deter me from watching the movies
ronald is my favorite any 
Jar by the Door
wrote on July 13 2009 @ 07:40 pm: [report]
I’ve always thought she was too pretty for Hermione, and honestly, I’ve always thought Bonnie Wright wasn’t stunning enough to be Ginny. I love Emma, but couldn’t they just crazy her hair up some?
JasonCra
wrote on July 14 2009 @ 08:28 am: [report]
I think or at least hope the critic isn’t complaining that she grew up pretty but that she’s styled wrong. Hermione can be pretty without looking conventionally pretty if that makes sense. The hair could be crazier as people said, also the costumes could be a little more funky or personal.
Lynn
wrote on July 14 2009 @ 08:41 am: [report]
It’s not on her for looking how she does. Look what they did with the gorgeous America Ferrera for Ugly Betty - you CAN “ugly” someone up. The fact that she looks good in the movie isn’t the “fault” of her genes, but a conscious choice by the director.
Also, I just have to say….I have curly/wavy hair like that, and a brush is the last thing to touch it - boar bristle and nylon or otherwise! Wide-tooth combs are IT. I keep a brush on hand only for the rare occasion when I straighten it.