Actress Emma Watson marked her 34th birthday on Monday with two photos that had fans swooning. The former Harry Potter star posted black-and-white pictures of herself taken by photographer Mack Breeden. The caption included the symbol for her astrological sign, Aries.
Watson was born on April 15, 1990, so Monday is a big birthday for the actress. Fans wished her well in the comments, with many GIFs from her movies and emojis for good measure. It's not clear when exactly Watson and Breeden met for this photoshoot, but the photographer first shared the pictures on her own Instagram back in June of 2023. The two have worked together on other occasions too, even collaborating on a shoot for Vogue Magazine.
Watson was born in Paris, France to English parents, both of whom are lawyers. They lived in Paris until she was five years old, then moved back to the U.K. She became interested in performing at a young age, and she studied acting, singing, and dancing in school. However, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was her first professional job, which she began at the age of nine.
Watson appeared in all eight Harry Potter film adaptations, with only one other job during that period – The Tale of Despereaux, released in 2008. Since then, Watson has branched out and become a star in her own right. She starred in the adaptation of The Perks of Being a Wallflower in 2012, in the live-action Beauty and the Beast in 2017, and in Little Women in 2019. In 2020, Watson indicated that she is more interested in activism and business than acting right now, and she has not taken on any new roles since then.
Watson's advocacy and activism has put her at odds with Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling in recent years. Rowling has become increasingly outspoken in opposing rights for transgender people, and Watson was one of the first stars in the film franchise to refute her. However, Watson and her co-stars never directly attacked Rowling, instead voicing their support for transgender people publicly just as the author herself was condemning them.
Rowling, on the other hand, took aim at Watson and Daniel Radcliffe just last week. While she was posting about the particulars of transitioning on X, one commenter wrote: "Just waiting for Dan and Emma to give you a very public apology… Safe in the knowledge that you will forgive them…" Rowling responded: "Not safe, I'm afraid. Celebs who cosied up to a movement intent on eroding women's hard-won rights and who used their platforms to cheer on the transitioning of minors can save their apologies for traumatized detransitioners and vulnerable women reliant on single sex spaces."
To be clear, neither Watson nor Radcliffe have shared specific views on medical transitions for children, but have instead shared general support for the transgender community and for advocacy groups like the Trevor Project. Watson is an outspoken feminist, even addressing the United Nations on the subject in 2014. Watson and Radcliffe have not responded to Rowling's call-out last week, and have never indicated that they intended to apologize to the author in the first place.
