Contrary to the spell of rumors that surfaced earlier this year in response to Emma Watson's lack of pandemic-era public appearances, she isn't retiring. In fact, per her latest social media update, it looks like the actor and activist has actually been hard at work all this time.
After the Harry Potter franchise kickstarted her childhood fame, Emma starred in films like Beauty and the Beast and The Bling Ring while simultaneously using her platform to advocate for issues such as equality, women's rights, and environmental justice.
Emma's last onscreen role came at the end of 2019, when she played the eldest March sister in that year's widely celebrated adaptation of Little Women. Her subsequent absence from major Hollywood events eventually prompted claims that her career had gone "dormant" and she'd quit acting.
Those claims were false, as Emma explained later. In May, she responded to speculation about her career with a reminder that COVID continued to be a public health threat and she was "doing [her] best not to spread a virus that is still affecting so many people."
"In the mean time please assume no news from me just means I'm quietly spending the pandemic the way most people are," Emma tweeted, before citing attempts at sourdough bread-making and an ongoing focus on her loved ones.
In the mean time please assume no news from me just means I’m quietly spending the pandemic the way most people are - failing to make sourdough bread (!), caring for my loved ones and doing my best not to spread a virus that is still affecting so many people.
Emma also honed an impressive new skill over the past couple of years, which she revealed on Instagram yesterday and described as "the most empowering thing [she] learned in lockdown." Apparently, she's now acquired some cinematographic expertise.
Celebrities like Reese Witherspoon, Sofi Tukker, and Emma's former Harry Potter co-star Evanna Lynch, took to her post's comments section to share support.
Evanna voiced her excitement over whatever Emma is filming in the photos she posted, and spoke on behalf of all of us.
