Smart, brave, and slightly strict — Emma Watson became the embodiment of one of the most beloved characters in the Harry Potter franchise. However, strangely enough, the author of the book, J.K. Rowling, was initially dissatisfied with this choice.
The book character versus the screen character
In the books, Hermione is described as a rather ordinary girl with fluffy hair, large front teeth, and, to put it mildly, an unremarkable appearance. She is the embodiment of the "ugly duckling," who only reveals her inner beauty and charm over time.
Emma Watson, on the contrary, was too pretty for the character of Hermione, especially in the first films. This discrepancy immediately raised questions for Rowling. She admitted that she was upset when she saw Emma at the audition, as such a "princess-like" girl contradicted her vision.
This was especially true for the scene from The Goblet of Fire, where Hermione appears in a dress at the Yule ball. In the books, this was a moment of transformation — the awkward and clumsy girl surprises those around her with her beauty. But with Emma, this didn't work: from the very beginning she already looked beautiful and didn't surprise anyone much.
False teeth: an unsuccessful attempt to correct the image
Interestingly, the filmmakers were aware of the problem. To bring Emma closer to the book character, they provided her with false front teeth to emphasize Hermione's dental features. However, this experiment turned out to be a failure: the actress found it difficult to speak, and the teeth had to be removed.
Nevertheless, a rare video of Emma's auditions in this look has been preserved, and some claim that the false teeth can be seen in one of the scenes of the first film.
In any case, the choice of Emma Watson became one of the key decisions that made the Harry Potter films as much of a classic as the books themselves.
