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Topics: Emma Watson, Celebrity, News, Podcast
Niamh Shackleton
Topics: Emma Watson, Celebrity, News, Podcast
Emma Watson has finally spoken out on her six-month driving ban.
Earlier this year, the Harry Potter alumni was slapped with a driving ban after racking up nine points on her license and then proceeding to drive 38mph in a 30mph area of Oxford, England, in her blue Audi.
In addition to her ban, the actress was ordered to pay over £1,000 (around $1,300) in fines.
Watson has moved away from acting in recent years and started studying at Oxford University in 2023. Her last movie was in 2019's Little Women, which she starred in alongside the likes of Florence Pugh and Timothée Chalamet.
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After she became a student, Watson, 35, found that she was having to drive herself everywhere all the time — a new feat for the actress who previously 'had to be driven' to places.
In a new episode of Jay Shetty's podcast, Watson addressed her recent ban and how it made headlines across the globe.
"I was getting phone calls, like it’s on the BBC. It’s on international, worldwide news," the 35-year-old said. "I was like, my shame is everywhere."
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Watson went on: "When you work on movies, I don’t know if people know this, but they literally will not insure you to drive yourself to work. I’ve asked so many times.
"You have to be driven, it’s not a choice. Especially because they need you there, down to the minute basically depending on what they have going on.
"So I went from basically only driving myself on weekends or during a holiday, to then, when I became a student, driving myself all the time and I did not have the experience, or skills clearly, which I now will and do."
She continued to share how living a normal life has been 'humbling' for her because, while she may have been able to shoot movies and do stunts, Watson found herself unable to do day-to-day tasks.
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Watson said: "It’s been a discovery and a journey that’s been humbling because on a movie set, I’m able to do all of these like extremely complex things, stunt, sing, dance, like do this thing, do that, whatever. And I’m like, 'Yep, don’t worry about it, guys'.
"And then I get home and I’m like, 'OK Emma, you seem unable to remember your keys. You seem unable to keep yourself at 30mph in a 30mph speed limit. Like you don’t seem able to do some pretty basic life things'."