Emma Watson’s journey to becoming Hermione Granger began around 1999–2000, when casting for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone opened after the film entered pre-production following Warner Bros.’ acquisition of the rights in 1998. Thousands of children across the U.K. auditioned, and Emma—then a 9-year-old student involved in school plays—progressed through roughly eight rounds of auditions before being officially announced in the principal trio on August 21, 2000. Filming started later that