Actress Emma Watson, best known for her role as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter franchise, recently opened up about being hounded by British paparazzi during her time at Brown University, and also commented on her disdain the impossible standards of beauty projected by Hollywood and the fashion industry.

Watson, 23, calls the pressure to look perfect surrounding showbiz “dangerously unhealthy,” and complained of her failed attempts to blend into the student body while attending Brown. Though, the actress commented that with age, she’s been better able to roll with trappings of her fame. “As a younger woman, that pressure got me down, but I’ve made my peace with it. With airbrushing and digital manipulation, fashion can project an unobtainable image that’s dangerously unhealthy. I’m excited about the ageing process. I’m more interested in women who aren’t perfect. They’re more compelling.”

At the New York premiere of her new film Noah, Watson tweeted that she did “NOT wake up like this!”

I did NOT wake up like this! #NoahMovie – @EmWatson x pic.twitter.com/t3rxZVPaec

— MTV (@MTV) March 26, 2014

Watson began her studies at Brown in 2009, and has sporadically taken time off to complete film work. “After Harry Potter, all that mattered was university,” she said, adding that “It wasn’t always easy to break down barriers, as having men from the British press following me with cameras didn’t help my mission to integrate.” Watson went on to say that the American press allowed her a high degree of privacy, but she was instantly recognized by her fellow students.

In March 2011, after 18 months at Brown, Watson left for a couple semesters, and became a visiting student at Worcester College, Oxford for the 2011-12 academic year. In March, 2014, Watson told David Letterman during an interview that she would be graduating from Brown in May..

While describing her initial time at Brown, Watson stated, “On the first day, I walked into the canteen and everyone went completely silent and turned around to look at me. I had to say to myself ‘it’s OK, you can do this.’ You just have to take a deep breath and gather your courage.”

Image via Wikimedia Commons