Harry Potter favourite Emma Watson has explained what she means by being 'self-partnered' when it comes to her love life.
In conversation for Teen Vogue five years ago, the Hermione Granger actress - who has worked under esteemed filmmakers such as Darren Aronofsky, Greta Gerwig and Sofia Coppola since the beloved tale of The Boy Who Lived wrapped up in 2011 - told author Valerie Hudson about coming up with this unique phrase attached to romantic singledom.
As many female celebrities experience, Watson has been heavily questioned over her personal life and relationship status over the years following her rise to fame.
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And it was in 2020 when she decided to open up about the pressures that came with the expectations to settle down as a woman in her 30s.
"In the run-up to my 30s, [I felt] this incredible, sudden anxiety and pressure that I had to be married or have a baby or [be] moving into a house," Watson began.
"There was no word for this kind of subliminal messaging and anxiety and pressure that I felt building up but couldn't really name, so I used the word self-partnered.
"For me it wasn't so much about coining a word; it was more that I needed to create a definition for something that I didn't feel there was language for."
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She went on: "It was interesting because it really riled some people up! It was less for me about the word but more about what it meant — just this idea that we need to reclaim language and space in order to express ourselves, because sometimes it’s really not there."
Further into the pair's chat, the star got onto her beliefs of relationship evolution.
"I feel that relationships that don’t necessarily follow traditional models do require more communication and consent," she said, perhaps alluding to her own dalliances with Francis Boulle, Jay Barrymore, Will Adamowicz and Glee's Chord Overstreet.
"It requires an actual conversation and agreement about the delegation of tasks and labour and responsibilities that maybe you don’t feel you need to have or should have if you follow those traditional stereotypes.
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"The idea that relationships are supposed to be easy and it’s all supposed to be implicitly understood, and you’re just meant to get each other, it’s bulls**t! It’s impossible!"
In a different interview with The Times, Watson also condemned the notion of doing something drastic on screen to separate herself from the character of young witch Hermione.
"I’m not going to get my kit off or snort cocaine in a film, just to leave Hermione behind," she shared.
"I’m not going to do something shocking because I’m so paranoid or insecure that I can’t play another role convincingly. I don’t want everyone to forget me as Hermione. I’m really proud of her."
Topics: Emma Watson, Harry Potter, Sex and Relationships, Lifestyle, Celebrity, UK News
Dan Seddon