Harry Potter star Emma Watson's father, Chris Watson has cautioned the parents of new child stars who are all set to be launched in the TV adaptation of JK Rowling's wizard franchise. Chris, in a recent interview, stated that while there are positives to the fame, there are some downsides which one could not imagine. (Also read: Arabella Stanton's audition as Hermione Granger in HBO’s new Harry Potter series reminds fans of Emma Watson. Watch)
It has been reported that close to 30,000 children auditioned for the lead roles, out of which Dominic McLaughlin, Arabella Stanton and Alastair Stout have been announced to play Harry Potter, Hermoine Granger and Ron Weasely respectively.
The new cast will step into the roles which have been immortalised by Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint. In an interview with Times Radio, Emma's father opened up about the highs and lows of being a superstar at such young age.
'There could be downsides you couldn't have imagined'
When asked if he ever felt scared of the fame or the pressure of it, Chris said, "I think as a parent you have to be scared. And you think this can go either way. This is a very difficult thing to handle for a child and a parent, or not. And while there are many upsides, nothing is perfect and you have to recognise, there are going to be a whole load of downsides and some of them you could not have imagined."
Despite the fame, Chris maintained that it was important for Emma to be grounded. He emphasised that it was also important for the studio to know that Harry Potter was not the only thing in Emma's life.
How Emma stayed grounded
"It certainly helped that I don’t actually watch movies. It’s not a big thing in the house, and so the chance of her getting stage struck was quite limited. It was easier for us to keep her feet on the ground. But also just to make sure that they studio and everybody else knew that this was not Emma's whole life, and that, you know, she had homework to do, and we as going to play hockey, she played a little bit of cricket as well," Chris said.
Chris expressed his willingness to offer guidance to the parents of the new cast, stating that he would be happy to support anyone navigating the unique experience of joining the show. Having gone through the journey himself, he shared that he would gladly speak with them if they wished to connect. The series is scheduled to release in 2026.
