Emma Watson and Fellow ‘Harry Potter’ Actress Banned from Driving

Emma Watson has been banned from driving in the U.K. for six months after getting caught speeding. A judge at High Wycombe Magistrates’ Court made the decision during a short hearing on a Wednesday, where Watson was also fined £1,044 (about $1,400). Watson didn’t attend the hearing.

The speeding incident happened nearly a year earlier, on July 31, 2024, when Watson was driving 38 mph in a 30 mph zone in Oxford, England. Because she already had nine points on her driver’s license, the punishment was tougher.

Watson is not the only “Harry Potter” star facing a driving ban. Zoe Wanamaker, who played Madame Hooch in the first “Harry Potter” movie, was also fined and banned on the same day at the same court. Wanamaker was caught speeding on August 7, 2024, driving 46 mph in a 40 mph zone.

Like Watson, she already had nine points on her license, so she received the same fine and six-month driving ban.

The two actresses only appeared together once in the “Harry Potter” series. Watson played Hermione Granger throughout the entire saga, alongside Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter and Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley. The film series ended in 2011.

In recent years, Watson has taken a step back from acting. Her last major role was Meg March in the 2019 remake of “Little Women,” directed by Greta Gerwig. She also took part in the 2022 special “Return to Hogwarts,” which celebrated 20 years of the “Harry Potter” films. Watson is currently studying for a master’s degree in creative writing at Oxford University.

In a 2023 interview with the Financial Times, Watson talked about why she took a break from acting. “I wasn’t very happy, if I’m being honest. 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,” she said. She added that she still loves acting but wants to do it in a way that feels right for her. “I love what I do. It’s finding a way to do it where I don’t have to fracture myself into different faces and people. And I just don’t want to switch into robot mode anymore.”

This story about Watson and Wanamaker’s driving bans was first reported by the BBC.

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