Bold, inspiring, talented: Emma Watson is everything a new-age actress should be

In 2001, a young, ginger-haired, witty girl from the 'Harry Potter' series stole our hearts with her presence of mind and brilliant acting skills.
At the age of 11, Emma Watson made her debut in 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'. The film broke records for opening-day sales and opening-weekend figures, and became the highest-grossing film of 2001. The young actress, in particular, received accolades for her performance, often being called 'admirable', 'the girl who stole the show', and bagged five nominations for her performance in the same film.

Multiple newspapers and tabloids called her performance 'charismatic', the 11-year-old Watson had already made a mark for herself, impressing more people than one. She has managed to blossom into a seasoned actress, who is much more than just a pretty face.


'The Circle' actress may have tasted success at a young age, but in her quest to maintain a low profile, she enrolled herself in Brown University, an Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island.

Amongst her many milestones, the actress was the youngest to grace the cover of 'Vogue' at the age of 15.

However, Watson is not just an actress par excellence, she's a humanitarian at heart and has involved herself with numerous philanthropic projects. She is not just an exceptional activist, but a role model too. As she turns 29, Here's a look at all the philanthropic projects that the actress has been involved in:

- The 'Perks Of Being A Wallflower' actress was appointed the UN Goodwill Ambassador in 2014. Joining the illustrious league of Nicole Kidman, Anne Hathaway, she promoted female empowerment, equality, education for women and raises awareness about important issues affecting women globally. She launched the 'HeForShe' campaign, aimed at fighting gender inequality. A strong advocate of equal pay for men and women, she is also working continuously towards putting an end to violence against men and women.



- The young model and actress has also associated herself with JK Rowling's charitable organisation, 'Lumos'. Rowling's NGO works towards relocating orphans from orphanages to families. By 2050, she aims to eradicate the use of orphanages. Watson often appears with Rowling at fundraisers and also supports her on social media.



- 'The Colonia' actress has a no-gift policy, where she urges her fans to not send her any gifts, but make donations to charitable organisations like UNICEF.

- A crusader for the environment, Watson's entrepreneurial venture is also all about protecting the planet. In 2009, she unveiled her fashion label, and named it 'People Tree'. The label makes clothes from organic and fairly traded cotton that is being made by knitting, weaving and embroidery.

- Watson's love for learning is evident from the book club that she started, 'Our Shared Shelf' which is available to everyone on Goodreads. Apparently, the actress is known to leave books in public places to encourage people to read.



- Fighting against workplace discrimination and harassment, the actress had donated a whopping $1.4 million to the 'Justice and Equality Fund'. In an open letter, she wrote, “All of us are responsible for creating change, whatever industry you work in. We’re asking everyone to help create a world we can be proud of – one that is safe, just, and equal. Please join us and donate to the new Justice and Equality Fund, which will support frontline organisations that are working to end a culture where harassment and abuse are commonplace. Together we can spread our message, support the strong people of all genders who are taking such personal risks and make sure that this is one of those watershed moments in history where things never go back to the way they were before. This is the moment we stand together and say. #TIMESUP. We hope you’ll stand with us.”

Emma Watson is the perfect example of the new-age actress, who is not just lured by the glitz and glam of the silver screen, but wants to use her celebrity status to sensitise the society and make a difference in people's lives.