Emma Watson Is “So Glad” She Stepped Back From Acting

Although it’s been over four years since Emma Watson last graced the silver screen in Little Women, the actress has no regrets about taking a sabaticle from the industry. In a new interview with British Vogue Watson detailed why she’s “so glad” in her decision to put a pause on her acting career.

“Because I’m in a career that moves very quickly, the decision to take time to do these things felt like a very big decision,” Watson told the publication. “[Choosing] to go back and write and study and get behind the camera was terrifying for me because I’d never done it before. I had always been in front of the camera; I’d always been an actor.”

The 33-year-old went on to detail an ongoing shift in her personal and professional life after stepping out of the limelight. Watson has started a women’s environmental investment fund, created a gin brand with her brother, and enrolled in a creative writing program at Oxford University. “I’m so glad that I allowed things to be messy for a minute and to really allow myself to not know [what’s next], because the knowing that I’ve come to, I wouldn’t trade that for anything,” she said.

Watson has been prioritizing her dog Sofia and “really stupid things” like pickleball and collecting stickers, too. She adds that stepping into the different areas of her life has allowed her to realize that success doesn’t necessarily equate to happiness.

“I get a front row seat [with] some of the most successful, beautiful, incredible people in the world,” “And when you have that seat it becomes very, very clear that there is just absolutely no level of success that will make you in any way happy or content if you do not like who you are or enjoy what you’re doing when no one’s watching.”

The actress isn’t just lounging around, though—she has tried her hand as director (for a Prada Beauty commercial), written a play (the contents of which she decided to keep under wraps), and sat on Kering’s board of directors. Earlier this year, Watson explained that she felt “caged” by her acting career and detailed what it would take for her to return to the big screen.

“I’m happy to sit and wait for the next right thing,” she told the Financial Times. “I love what I do. It’s finding a way to do it where I don’t have to fracture myself into different faces and people. And I just don’t want to switch into robot mode anymore.”