Associated Press reported that Emma Watson graduated on Sunday with a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature. From Brown, no less, an Ivy League university in Rhode Island. I must admit that I’ve never really gotten swept up in the whole Harry Potter culture- the extent of my participation was reading one book in the series and watching two of the movies. Fantasy/wizard/magic stuff just isn’t really my thing. But the two (very long) films that I did see, or at least the parts of them that I saw when I wasn’t napping, were very well done. Credit for that goes to many of the people involved in making the movie, but I thought that the actors deserve special mention, especially the three young actors playing Harry, Ron, and of course Hermione.
You know how sometimes you watch a kid movie and the actors seem so adorable and wholesome? You feel good when it’s over and you know it’s fine for your kids to get to know about these actors. Well, sometimes, a few years later, the adorable wholesome kid actor becomes an out of control teenager who is on all the gossip sites that you have to close when your kids come into the room. I’m not naming names but you all know what I’m talking about. It makes me sad. Is it because the lifestyle becomes too much for a young child to handle? Is it the exposure to a lifestyle that does not represent real life that makes it so hard to find a balance? Is it the overwhelming wealth, or the adults in the child actor’s life who take advantage and cause problems? Who knows- it’s probably a combination of all of the above.
My newsfeed also gave me more than I wanted to know about the Kim Kardashian/Kanye West wedding, and I don’t know if there’s something wrong with me, but I find the information about Emma Watson’s English Lit degree far more interesting. Does this mean that I’m a nerd? Or worse, an intellectual snob? Maybe, as a parent, I just felt a little inspired. It’s nice to see someone grow up to be successful. I know success can be measured in different ways, and different types of success are important to different people, but if a child star makes it into young adulthood, still scoring movie hits, avoiding negative publicity, and getting a college degree to boot, I think we can all agree that this is something to admire. Congrats, Emma!
