Emma Watson has admitted she never got the big deal about alcohol as a teenager after being introduced to it at a young age by her dad.
The actress, 33, who originally shot to fame playing Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films, said that while her peers viewed getting their hands on some alcohol as “forbidden fruit,” her dad would give her “wine and water for lunch” leaving her “confused” over what the big deal was.
Watson was born in Paris, France, but moved to England when she was five after her parents divorced. There she would split her time between her mother’s place in Oxfordshire and her dad in London.
Before 2009 in France, it was legal for 16-18-year-olds to drink “fermented” beverages such as cider, wine and beer, but the laws have changed, and now it’s 18 for all alcoholic drinks.
Despite finding success post-child star status with films such as The Perks of Being a Wall Flower and Disney’s live-action Beauty & the Beast, in recent years she has decided to take a step back from acting with her last film being released in 2019.
She is now gearing up for the launch of her new premium gin brand, Renais, with her younger brother Alex, 30.
During an interview with luxury magazine, Financial Times’ How To Spend It – on which she appears on the front cover with Alex – Watson details how the taste of alcohol is nothing new to her.
She said: “I was quite surprised when other kids got really excited about the idea of getting their hands on alcohol.
“My dad would give me wine and water with lunch since I was a kid. So I was pretty confused as a teenager and everyone thought alcohol was a forbidden fruit.”
Elsewhere in the chat, she opens up about acting, Hollywood and growing up in a family obsessed with wine, food and the culture around it.
