The Daily News is reporting that actress Emma Watson, who plays Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter movies, has taken a leave of absence from the Providence, Rhode Island institution where she has been studying since 2009. She was apparently unable to live down her role in the Potter tale and was frequently heckled by classmates who would shout quotes from the book such as "Three points for Gryffindor!" when she answered questions correctly in class.
The British star was said to have been a good student, much like the character she portrayed in Potter.
According to her personal blog, she very much wanted to have a "normal" experience at Brown, but this was not possible as she was constantly harassed by fellow students about her Potter role.
For instance, during a 2009 football game, Watson was easily spotted in the crowd sitting between two security guards in orange vests. She had to be escorted in and out of the stadium while nearby students shouted Harry Potter phrases at her.
This is not the first time her starring role in the Potter films made her life difficult. At the age of 16, strict security measures had to be taken by employing bodyguards and executive protection to protect her from an obsessed Potter fan.
At the time, Sky News reported that Watson was approached by a man in his 20's who had been following her into her open lectures at a school in Britain.
"The man actually gate-crashed her school," a source told the news service. "She was very alarmed and worried." After the man began questioning Watson about the "Harry Potter" films, police arrived at the scene and questioned him. While police warned the man to leave the actress alone, her school and parents began to take precautions to ensure her safety. Thereafter, she was forced to take a bodyguard with her to school.
The curse of the wizard seems to be following the young woman whose quest for normalcy never materialized at Brown where she couldn't even enjoy a normal dorm relationship. Her freshman roommate was forced to sign a strict confidentiality agreement before moving in with her.
In a post on Emmawatson.com, she explained her sudden departure from Brown as being a decision to "take a bit of time off to completely finish my work on Harry Potter . . . and to focus on my other professional and acting projects."
She has not given up on getting a degree, however. "I will still be working towards my degree," she said. "It's just going to take me a semester or two longer than I thought."
Her next movie, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II, is due out in July.
