--- title: Beauty and the Beast: Emma Watson on Dream of Playing Belle description: Starring in Disney's live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast was apparently a fairy tale come true for Emma Watson. canonical: https://time.com/4707191/emma-watson-on-belle/ author: Megan McCluskey article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-03-20T21:00:04.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-06-24T06:56:50.293Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: Emma Watson Explains Why Belle and Hermione Were Her Idols og:description: The Beauty and the Beast star is feeling "really lucky" og:url: https://time.com/4707191/emma-watson-on-belle/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt240b2b1d3a13fc7f/6988bef2cd1bba28f07045ca/beauty-beast.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Film Review Beauty and the Beast og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Emma Watson Explains Why Belle and Hermione Were Her Idols twitter:description: The Beauty and the Beast star is feeling "really lucky" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt240b2b1d3a13fc7f/6988bef2cd1bba28f07045ca/beauty-beast.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Emma Watson Explains the Difference Between Idolizing Belle and Hermione > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with Ally. Ally is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: July 2026. ## Ally: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Ally is a digital financial services company offering online-only banking, including checking and savings accounts, through Ally.com and its mobile apps. Launched in 2009 as an original disruptor in financial services, Ally was built to challenge outdated banking norms with a simpler, more convenient way to bank. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. ## Video: This Video Is No Longer Available [Watch (HLS stream): This Video Is No Longer Available](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/fKodeUO6.m3u8) (0:10)  _Published 2026-06-23. The Beauty and the Beast star is feeling "really lucky"_  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Mar 20, 2017 9:00 PM UTC  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Mar 20, 2017 9:00 PM UTC Starring in [Disney’s live-action adaptation](http://time.com/4706209/beauty-and-the-beast-box-office/) of [_Beauty and the Beast_](http://time.com/4689999/beauty-and-the-beast-review/)was apparently a fairy tale come true fo[r Emma Watson](http://time.com/4702626/emma-watson-picture-hack/). During a recent press conference for the film, the 26-year-old actor told the [_Irish Independent_](http://www.independent.ie/style/celebrity/celebrity-features/emma-watson-ive-always-said-forget-the-engagement-ring-build-me-a-library-35534318.html) that she felt fortunate to have already had the privilege to play two of her fictional role models — Belle and Hermione Granger. “I think that I just feel really lucky. For me, Belle was my childhood heroine; \[the animated original\] came out two days after I was born,” she said. “And then, in my early teens, it was about idolising Hermione. So to be given the chance to play my two childhood idols is probably a very unique and rare experience for an actress.” Watson also spoke about how she feels she has grown personally and professionally since the completion of the _Harry Potter_ series. “I think I came out of \[_Beauty and the Beast_\] with more confidence, with more skills. And more belief in myself,” she said. “Because when I came off Potter and decided to go to university, that wasn’t a career decision the people I worked with were pleased about. But I kind of… I try to stay true to whatever whisper I’m getting from myself and I hope that will see me through. That’s all I can do really. Otherwise, if I don’t listen to myself, I’d feel a bit lost in it all.” Beauty and the Beast: Emma Watson on Dream of Playing Belle ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4707191/emma-watson-on-belle/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4707191/emma-watson-on-belle/"},"headline":"Emma Watson Explains the Difference Between Idolizing Belle and Hermione","datePublished":"2017-03-20T21:00:04.000Z","dateModified":"2026-06-24T06:56:50.293Z","description":"The Beauty and the Beast star is feeling \"really lucky\"","url":"https://time.com/4707191/emma-watson-on-belle/","keywords":["movies","Newsfeed","celebrities","Harry Potter","Emma Watson","Beauty and the Beast"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt240b2b1d3a13fc7f/6988bef2cd1bba28f07045ca/beauty-beast.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Megan McCluskey","jobTitle":"Staff Writer","url":"https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt240b2b1d3a13fc7f/6988bef2cd1bba28f07045ca/beauty-beast.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Film Review Beauty and the Beast","caption":"Film Review Beauty and the Beast","creditText":"Disney/AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/movies/","name":"movies"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4707191/emma-watson-on-belle/","name":"Emma Watson Explains the Difference Between Idolizing Belle and Hermione"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"This Video Is No Longer Available","description":"The Beauty and the Beast star is feeling \"really lucky\"","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/fKodeUO6/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2026-06-23T15:00:44.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/fKodeUO6.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4707191/emma-watson-on-belle/","duration":"PT10S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4707191/emma-watson-on-belle/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```