Emma Watson is the epitome of growing up with grace in Hollywood, but even she's dealt with feelings of insecurity in the past.
While speaking to Porter magazine for their Incredible Women issue, the actress admitted that she was "terrified by the level of interest" people had in her life when she was just a kid.
"As a young person that feeling of not being comfortable in my own skin was exacerbated by the microscope I was under," she explained. "The level of questioning I was under, coming at such a young age. People asking me, 'What do you think of this? Who are you, who are you, who are you?' I felt so inadequate because I just didn't have answers yet."
She continued, "I had so many friends who had a clear sense of self. Who knew that they liked certain things, like the smell of grass or what their favorite color was. I envied those girls because I was so unsure of myself. I questioned everything. I was terrified by the level of interest in me."
The actress, who shot to fame playing Hermione Granger in the "Harry Potter" film franchise, went on to say that she "used to have to go numb and close myself off" just to get through events and red carpets.
These days, Watson admitted she's much more confident in herself.
"Now at 25 for the first time in my life, I feel like I have a sense of self that I’m comfortable with. I actually do have things that I want to say and I want to be my most authentic self," she told the mag. "I don’t want there to be a big separation between the public and the private person."
She added, "It’s definitely the harder road to tread, but without a doubt, ultimately the most rewarding."
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