Emma Watson’s father issues warning to new Harry Potter stars’ parents

With Warner Bros. and HBO finally announcing the young stars who will play Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley in the much-awaited television remake, one veteran voice from the original film franchise has spoken out about a stark word of caution. Chris Watson, father of Emma Watson who became famous playing Hermione, has weighed in on the exclusive pitfalls of child stardom.

What did Emma Watson’s father advise the new Harry Potter casts’ parents?

Dominic McLaughlin will play Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton will star as Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley in the new production, which retells J.K. Rowling’s iconic books while staying true to its spirit. As enthusiasm among fans is high, Chris Watson spoke on his daughter’s path to international stardom as a child.

In an interview, Mr Watson highlighted the huge pressure and possible negatives parents of the new sensations ought to be ready for. As a parent, you need to be afraid," he said. “As a parent, you have to be scared," he stated. "This can be a very difficult thing for a parent and child to handle, or not. And while there are many upsides, nothing is perfect and you have to recognise, there are going to be a whole load of downsides and some of them you could not have imagined,” he added.

Chris also discussed how his family worked to keep Emma down to earth during the storm of fame, noting that films were not a controlling aspect of their home. “It certainly helped that I don’t actually watch movies. It’s not a big thing in the house, and so it was easier for us to keep her feet on the ground.” He emphasised keeping the studio aware that Emma's career as an actress was not her whole life, keeping her doing school work and hobbies.

The new Harry Potter series will be produced by showrunner Francesca Gardiner and directed by Mark Mylod, with J K Rowling as an executive producer. As yet, production details are still underway, but Chris Watson said he was open to providing advice and guidance to the parents of the cast of the new series should they want to get in touch.