On Thursday, June 09, 2011 around 2 am, I met and had a conversation with Emma Watson. She had just finished twelve hours of filming for “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” and was in her car on the way home. Out of nowhere, she pulled over to meet with those of us who were on the set. We weren't allowed to take pictures, but just talking with her was enough for me! As a Harry Potter fanatic and fashion enthusiast, I consider Emma Watson one of my idols. I saw her for the first time last week, and when she said hello to me, I was literally star struck. I was not able to say a word. I was frozen, like I was hit with a real life petrificus totalus spell. This time, however, I tried to mentally prepare myself.
My friend, Olivia, and I arrived on set around 8pm and sat in the grass outside of the house that they’re filming in. A short time afterwards, we saw Emma and Logan (Lerman) emerge from one of the vans and enter the house. We heard that they were finishing up earlier tonight (1-2am instead of 3-4am), so Olivia and I made the decision to leave for a little and come back later on to catch some of the stars on their way out.
We ventured back to the set a couple hours later, laid out our towels on the wet grass, and waited. Our new friend, Lexi, had tons of information on the actors. This was not the first time she was staying up late to wait for filming to end. In fact, Logan Lerman pretty much knows her by now and commonly remarks “you again?!” Our other new friend, Cameron, was quite the charmer. He made a sign reading “Emma, Could I Give You a Date” and brought a bag of Dole dates to go along with it. When filming finally wrapped for the night, we watched the stars get in their vans and head back to “base camp.” After making a run for it, there were six of us standing near her trailer.
Suddenly, we see Emma at the wheel of her car, coasting towards the six of us. To my surprise, she rolled down the window, put the car in park, and proceeded to have a polite conversation with us! She signed autographs for us, including my picture of her and the rest of the Harry Potter cast that I saved from an old Entertainment Weekly issue. My friend Olivia was even brave enough to ask her some questions. She asked her what her favorite Harry Potter book was and if she liked the area. Emma said that the 7th book was her favorite and that she loves the Pittsburgh area so much that she doesn’t want filming to end! When she signed my photo, I was able to get some words out this time. I said, “I just wanted to let you know that you are my style icon, I love everything you wear on the red carpet” She was surprisingly incredibly appreciative! She replied, “Aw, thank you so much! I have a lot of help, but thank you, really!” I was proud of myself for keeping my cool, but I was completely freaking out on the inside!
Seconds later, Cameron took a shot at charming Emma Watson. I must say, he was quite convincing. When he handed her the package of dates, she replied “bloody hell!” I loved hearing her say that! He proceeded to explain that he understands that she can’t trust him, but he cracked a joke about possibly filling out an application to go on a date with her. She was giggling throughout, and said that she just couldn’t go on a date with him considering she doesn’t know anything about him. Olivia, Lexi, and I backed him up by saying that we just met him and that he seems like a really great guy! He proceeded to hand her a slip of paper with his name and email address on it, and remarked, “Here’s some of my information, you know, in case you want to run a background check. “ He was so cute, so clever, and so charming. Who knows, it may have worked!
When she finally pulled away, I no longer had control over my emotions. I was practically hysterical. The security guards had to have written me off as insane. When Olivia and I got in my car, we both just took the opportunity to spaz out and frantically tweet about our experience. I have been giddy ever since. It was only fitting that we watched Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I when we got back. Every time Hermoine spoke, I could not believe that I had met her! It was such a surreal experience for us and I desperately tried to take it all in! She looked so much older in person and was incredibly poised!
Since getting hooked on the books at age eight, Hermoine has been my favorite character. As I got older, I began to really appreciate Emma Watson as an actress, and more recently, I have been infatuated with her dresses on the red carpet. I watched Emma grow up on screen just as I did in real life, and she is someone that I truly admire. I have to say that this experience was most definitely a high-light of my life. She was just so extraordinarily nice to the six of us standing there. It would have been so much easier for her to speed off without even a wave, but she didn’t, and I am so thankful. She was exactly how I pictured her: sweet, kind and absolutely gorgeous. My summer could not get much better.
Emma with "The Perks of Being a Wallflower." Photo tweeted by Logan Lerman
