Emma Watson

In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011), Emma Watson makes room for apprehension in Hermione Granger's determination. She and Rupert Grint keep the central trio warm when the fighting might otherwise make it oppressively solemn. We were moved by that warmth, because it lets these people seem frightened and fond of one another rather than merely ready for the next confrontation. Watson is particularly valuable when the film gives her someone to respond to. Her contribution is easy to underrate in a film with so much happening around her.

David Yates helps by returning to the actors whenever the combat threatens to become exhausting. With Daniel Radcliffe providing a persuasive centre, Watson does not have to advertise the importance of every moment. She can contribute to the friendship, and the film benefits from that division of labour. Some farewells are hurried, but the performances make its forceful finish worth the investment in the series.

The early association is hard to escape, but Watson has not simply kept repeating it. From Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001) to the eighth film in 2011, Hermione gave her a durable screen identity. Sam in The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012) took her into contemporary independent drama. Sofia Coppola's The Bling Ring (2013) made the contrast sharper, casting her as Nicki, a fame-obsessed teenager. The choice itself is refreshing: there is more curiosity here than a succession of variations on the clever girl would have allowed.

Beauty and the Beast (2017) is the caution, with a wooden quality to her delivery as Belle that becomes harder to overlook in a leading role. Greta Gerwig's Little Women (2019) gives her Meg March and the support of an ensemble again. For a less familiar Watson, try The Bling Ring; for the Hermione we most value, start the Harry Potter films at the beginning.