“There were days where I just wanted to kill him”: Emma Watson Was Pushed to Her Limits by 1 Harry Potter Director for ‘Realness’ She Could No Longer Tolerate

The Harry Potter franchise became quite an iconic franchise when the books were adapted into the films. Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and, Rupert Grint as the main leads, the franchise’s magic can never be redone in modern times.

Harry Potter trio in the Goblet of Fire [Credit- Warner Bros. Pictures]

The franchise also went through four different directors with Chris Columbus starting the franchise with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and David Yates ending it with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two. Although actress Emma Watson got along well with all the directors, there was something about David Yates that Watson joked about killing him!

Emma Watson Was Always Cold Due To David Yates

And we do not mean metaphorically. The trio of Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe, and, Rupert Grint went through some really harsh conditions when they were hunting for the Horcruxes in Deathly Hallows: Part One and Two.

Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson as Harry Potter and Hermione Granger (image credit: Warner Brothers)

Until Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, most of the events took place in and around Hogwarts. It was after the death of Professor Dumbledore that Potter had to go out in search of the Horcruxes and face some terrible things along the way.

From stealing a dragon at Gringotts Bank to jumping in a freezing lake, the trio battled through several harsh climates and it was director David Yates’ idea! In an interview with Collider, Watson revealed that Yates always wanted the trio as cold and wet because it gave them more of a vulnerable feel.

I was begging with [Yates] some days and he just said ‘It just looks so much better that you guys look so much more vulnerable and that it’s so much realer that you guys, you are heroes but at the same time you kind of just look like these…’ and he’s right, it looks great on screen.

She further continued,

We look like these bedraggled, kind of unlikely heroes. So it works, but God there were days where I just wanted to kill him.

As much as Emma Watson wanted to kill David Yates (jokingly), she couldn’t help but admire the director for his skills. From metaphorical details to pushing the actors to their limits, Emma Watson revealed that she is actually pretty grateful to David Yates.

Not only that but the actress went on to further state that when Yates came onboard, it was as if the character of Hermione had broken out of her shell. Stating that the other versions of Hermione (before Yates) were just parodies of herself, Watson was really glad for the director.

David Yates Brought Out An Honest Hermione Granger!

Alongside the Harry Potter franchise, filmmaker David Yates has a plethora of movies to his name. It was the Harry Potter franchise where Yates was able to bring out a more mature side of the trio onto the big screens.

Emma Watson and Rupert Grint in a still from the Harry Potter franchise | Warner Bros. Pictures

Even Emma Watson felt glad that Yates was present during the franchise’s conclusion. As the interview with Collider further continued, Watson revealed that Yates wanted an honest performance.

I’ve really enjoyed that. David (Yates, director) really wanted a really honest performance. It was really nice to play—I feel like earlier on I played a parody of myself or like a kind of a real character, she was kind of this big personality and she’s developed into something much more human and organic.

In the end, the series concluded with an epic finale and David Yates indeed proved himself to be the perfect director for the Harry Potter franchise. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two received a rating of 8.1/10 on IMDB and a whopping 96% on Rotten Tomatoes.

With high ratings and epic finales, the Harry Potter franchise is available to stream on Max in the U.S.