Emma Watson is returning to Oxford University this September, 10 years after she completed her first degree.
Previously, Watson attended Oxford during the 2011 to 2012 academic year as part of the Visiting Student Programme.
She took part in the programme while she deferred her degree at Brown University to focus on filming for the Harry Potter franchise, in which she starred as Hermione Granger.
The 33-year-old has now enrolled in MA in Creative Writing course starting in September 2023.
Her decision was revealed during an interview with the Financial Times, as she and her brother, Alex, announced the launch of their new organic, carbon-neutral gin.
Watson has reportedly remained closely affiliated with Oxford University through the years.
In 2016, the Beauty and the Beast star became a Visiting Fellow at Oxford’s Lady Margaret Hall. The role involved her being invited to attend debates and speak at the college.
Watson was a Visiting Fellow for three years, after which she was made an Associate Fellow in 2019.
In the FT interview, Watson explained her decision to step back from the world of acting.
“I wasn’t very happy, if I’m being honest,” she said. “I think I felt a bit caged.
“The thing I found really hard was that I had to go out and sell something that I really didn’t have very much control over. To stand in front of a film and have every journalist be able to say, ‘How does this align with your viewpoint?’
“It was very difficult to have to be the face and the spokesperson for things where I didn’t get to be involved in the process.”
Watson went on to lament that she didn’t “have a voice”, when being interviewed.
“I was held accountable in a way that I began to find really frustrating, because I didn’t have a voice, I didn’t have a say,” she said.
