Emma Watson: “ELLE UK” March Cover Star AND Woman of the Year!

Exciting news for Emma Watson – the magazine ELLE UK has revealed that the actress and activist not only is set to be its March cover star but will also be awarded Woman of the Year at the ELLE Style Awards 2017!

Emma Watson on the cover of “ELLE UK”. (Photographed by Kerry Hallihan)

With Beauty and the Beast set to be hitting theaters on March 17, everyone is desperate to find out all they can about it, ELLE UK being no exception. Emma notes her opinion on her role:

For me, Beauty was the perfect, most joyful thing to do… There was something connected about Hermione and Belle, and it was good to be reminded that I am an actress; this is what I do. The film is pure escapism.

Emma Watson, Photographed by Kerry Hallihan for “ELLE UK”.

As fans of Emma will know, the actress took a step back from the camera in 2016 in a bid to concentrate on her other passion: activism, with specific emphasis on gender equality. Emma clearly valued the time she took away:

It wasn’t about me necessarily proving anything… I was just thinking that I have this year to myself, so let’s see what we can do to ‘move the needle’ and make a difference.

Emma Watson, Photographed by Kerry Hallihan for “ELLE UK”.

One of the highlights of her year away was certainly Our Shared Shelf, the feminist book club Emma set up, where she and people around the world read and discussed novels, including Caitlyn Moran’s How to Be a Woman, Gloria Steinem’s My Life on the Road, and Alice Walker’s The Color Purple. As it stands, the book club has 168,951 members, yet despite its popularity, Emma isn’t quite sure whether she’s ready to publish a book of her own just yet:

I need to see and do a bit more first… I’m no expert, and when people push me into a corner of ‘here’s Emma Watson to lecture you on feminism’, it’s uncomfortable because I am aware I have a long way to go. I am not sure I deserve all the respect I get yet, but I’m working on it.

If you want to read more of ELLE UK’s interview with Emma, then make sure to grab your copy of the magazine, which goes on sale on February 14.

Meanwhile, the ELLE Style Awards, where Emma will receive the accolade of Woman of the Year, will be held on February 13.