2010–present: Independent films and mainstream work

She also appeared in a music video for One Night Only, after meeting lead singer George Craig at the 2010
Winter/Summer Burberry advertising campaign. The video, Say You Don't Want It, was screened on Channel 4 on
26 June 2010 and released on 16 August.[72] In her first post-Harry Potter film, Watson appeared in My Week with
Marilyn (2011) as Lucy, a wardrobe assistant who briefly dates protagonist Colin Clark, portrayed by Eddie
Redmayne.[73][74]

Watson attending the 2013 Cannes Film Festival

In May 2010, Watson was reported to be in talks to star in Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower,
[75]
 based on the 1999 novel of the same name. Filming began in summer of 2011, and the film was released in
September 2012.[76] Watson starred opposite Logan Lerman as Sam, a high school senior who befriends a fellow
student called Charlie (Lerman), and helps him through his freshman year. The film opened to favourable reviews;
David Sexton of the Evening Standard opined that Watson's performance was "plausible and touching" [77] while Ian
Buckwalter of The Atlantic stated that Watson "sheds the memory of a decade playing Hermione in the Harry
Potter series with an about-face as a flirtatious but insecure free spirit. [78]
In 2013, Watson starred in the satirical crime film The Bling Ring. The Sofia Coppola-directed film is based on the
real-life Bling Ring robberies, with Watson playing a fictionalised version of Alexis Neiers, a television personality
who was one of seven teenagers involved in the robberies. While the film mostly received mixed reviews, critics
gave almost unanimous praise for Watson's performance. Adam White of The Independent later stated that "She
prove[d] remarkable.... Watson oozes casual disdain. Her sticky American vocal fry is clipped and monotone, as if
she's swallowed a Kardashian for breakfast." [79] Watson also had a supporting role in the apocalyptic comedy This Is
the End (2013), in which she, Seth Rogen, James Franco and many others played "exaggerated versions of
themselves"[80] and Watson memorably dropped the "f-bomb".[81] She said she could not pass up the opportunity to
make her first comedy and "work with some of the best comedians ... in the world right now". [82]
In June 2012, Watson was confirmed for the role as Ila, Shem's wife, in Darren Aronofsky's Noah, which began
filming the following month, and was released in March 2014. [83] Watson referred to the role as "physically very
demanding" given the usage of special effects and did extensive research on childbirth to effectively portray a scene
in the film.[84] The film, a box office success, received mixed reviews for its direction and casting; Vanity Fair wrote
that "Watson anchors the film's rawest emotional scenes.... Sitting on an Icelandic beach with Russell Crowe, her
hair wild and eyes burning, Watson is quiet but ferocious." [85] In March 2013, it was reported that Watson was in
negotiations to star as the title character in a live-action Disney adaptation of Cinderella.[86] Watson was offered the
role, but turned it down because she did not connect with the character. [87][88] The role ultimately went to Lily James.[89]
Watson joined Judi Dench, Robert Downey Jr., Mike Leigh, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Mark Ruffalo as recipients of
the 2014 Britannia Awards, presented on 30 October in Los Angeles. Watson was awarded British Artist of the Year
and she dedicated the prize to Millie, her pet hamster who died as Watson was filming Harry Potter and the
Philosopher's Stone.[90] Watson starred in two 2015 releases, the thrillers Colonia, opposite Daniel Brühl and Michael
Nyqvist;[91] and Regression by Alejandro Amenábar, alongside Ethan Hawke and her Harry Potter co-star David
Thewlis.[92][93] Both of these films received generally negative reviews;[94][95] The Daily Telegraph critic
blamed Regression's script for her "pure dramatic cardboard" role. [96] She also appeared in an episode of BBC's The
Vicar of Dibley, in which she played Reverend Iris.[97] In February 2016, Watson announced she was taking a year-
long break from acting. She planned to spend the time on her "personal development" and her women's rights work.
[98]
Watson promoting The Circle in 2017

Watson starred as Belle in the 2017 live-action Disney adaptation of Beauty and the Beast directed by Bill Condon,
and starring opposite Dan Stevens as the Beast.[99] She was given autonomy within Belle's portrayal; she re-
characterised her as an assistant to her inventor father and incorporated bloomers and boots into her wardrobe.
[100]
 The film grossed over $1.2 billion at the worldwide box office and emerged as the second-highest-grossing film
of 2017 and the 17th-highest-grossing film of all time.[101] Her reported fee was $3 million upfront with profit
participation, bringing her salary up to $15 million.[102] The film garnered positive reviews; Richard Roeper of
the Chicago Sun-Times thought her performance was "all pluck and spunk and sass and smarts and fierce
independence as Belle".[101][103][104] Watson later said "When I finished the film, it kind of felt like I had made that
transition into being a woman on-screen". [100]
In the same year, she starred opposite Tom Hanks in the film adaptation of Dave Eggers' novel The Circle as Mae
Holland, who begins working at a powerful tech corporation and enters a perilous situation
concerning surveillance and freedom.[105] The film received negative reviews but was a moderate box office success.
[106]
 In 2019, Watson starred as Meg March in Greta Gerwig's adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's novel Little Women,
co-starring with Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh, Laura Dern, Timothée Chalamet, and Meryl Streep.[107] On the
premise, Watson has stated "I think [Little Women] was good literary device to explain that there's not one way to
be a feminist.... [Meg's] way of being a feminist is making the choice – because that's really, for me anyway, what
feminism is about. Her choice is that she wants to be a full-time mother and wife." [108] Forbes stated that "Watson has
perhaps the most challenging [...] role, as the proverbial straight woman of the sisters who is put on the defensive
when her dreams end up being the most conventional of the lot." [109] The film was released to critical acclaim and
grossed over $218 million against its $40 million budget. [110][111][112]
In 2020, Watson discussed her future career plans, stating: "Having been so public in making films and being so
active on social [media] in my activism, I am curious to embrace a role where I work to amplify more voices, to
continue to learn from those with different experiences", adding that her work would include "fewer red carpets and
more conference meetings".[113] In 2021, various reports surfaced stating that Watson was engaged or retiring. [114]
[115]
 Watson and her representatives refuted these reports; she later labelled the speculation as clickbait and cited
her relative public absence to continued social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic.[116] In 2022, Watson
reunited with multiple cast members of the Harry Potter film series for an HBO Max special titled Harry Potter 20th
Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts.[117]
v