Why Emma Watson Prefers Dating People Who Haven’t Seen Her Films

Emma Watson wants to date someone who's not familiar with her entire filmography.

The Harry Potter star, 35, spoke about her challenges dating as a famous person during a wide-ranging conversation on Jay Shetty's On Purpose podcast, for the latest episode that debuted Wednesday, Sept. 24.

"It does feel like my avatar enters the room unexpectedly, all of a sudden. And then I'm navigating a completely different conversation if someone haven't figured out that it's me yet," said Watson.

"That can feel really dehumanizing and sometimes quite … seeing someone's behavior completely switch and turn and change can be kind of a jarring experience."

Watson said she takes solace in the fact that "dating for everyone is basically a complete disaster and free-for-all," she told Shetty, 38, with a laugh. "I feel like I'm in good company, in that sense."

"It's funny, occasionally people will apologize to me for the fact they've not seen my films. And I will be like, 'Please don't apologize. That is bliss to me.' Like, music to my ears that you're not going to constantly be navigating it. And me also navigating with you this projection of me, or this Emma Watson avatar-person will not be this ghost in the room."

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She added, "That's happened a few times, where people have been like, 'I'm really sorry.' I'm like, 'Please don't apologize. I'm so relieved! I'm so incredibly relieved.' "

Outside of starring in eight Harry Potter movies from the age of 10, Watson is also known for films like 2012's The Perks of Being a Wallflower, 2013's The Bling Ring, and 2017's Beauty and the Beast. Her last big-screen role came in 2019's Little Women.

The star explained on the podcast that she does want her potential partner to "appreciate my work, but I think knowing you don't have to navigate that extra degree of, like, weirdness is helpful, a relief."

Elsewhere in the podcast, Watson and Shetty talked more about relationships and marriage. She said she feels that falling in love is "quite easy to do" but "the hard part is finding someone who actually wants to be in a dance with you, and be in some form of partnership with you."

Added Watson, "I just think we have such a black-and-white idea about what love is supposed to be. And I wish I'd understood more before I went into battle. I do. I really, really do."

The actress and activist has mostly kept her romantic life out of the spotlight. As she told Vanity Fair back in 2017, "I've noticed in Hollywood who you're dating gets tied up into your film promotion and becomes part of the performance and the circus. I would hate anyone that I were with to feel like they were in any way part of a show or an act."