Actress Emma Watson has been banned from driving for six months after she was caught speeding in Oxford, UK media reported on Wednesday.

 

Watson, best known for her role as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter film series, was driving at 38mph in a 30mph zone on the evening of 31 July last year. The court heard that she already had nine points on her driving licence before the incident took place.

 

The 35-year-old actress, who is currently studying for a master’s degree in creative writing at the University of Oxford, was ordered to pay a total fine of £1,044 by High Wycombe Magistrates' Court. She did not attend the brief five-minute hearing.

 

Representatives for Watson have been approached for comment but have not responded yet.

 

Watson rose to global fame in 2001 with the release of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, alongside co-stars Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint. She starred in all eight Harry Potter films until 2011 before moving on to other projects such as Beauty and the Beast, The Bling Ring, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Her last film role was in the 2019 remake of Little Women. In 2023, she also launched her own sustainable gin brand with her brother.

 

A new Harry Potter TV adaptation is currently in production, with Dominic McLaughlin playing Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton as Hermione, and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley. The series, being produced by HBO, is expected to take a decade to complete.

 

In a separate but similar incident, another Harry Potter actress, Zoe Wanamaker, was also banned from driving for six months on the same day and in the same court. Wanamaker, who played Madam Hooch in the wizarding series, was caught driving at 46mph in a 40mph zone on the M4 in Newbury, Berkshire, on 7 August 2024.

 

She was fined £1,044 and had three more points added to her licence, which already had nine points before the offence. Her lawyer told the court that she was not seeking special treatment and accepted the penalty.

 

District Judge Arvind Sharma endorsed three more points on both actresses’ licences, resulting in a six-month driving ban for each.