Emma Watson used to pretend to be "incredibly boring".
Emma Watson
The 25-year-old actress - who shot to fame when she landed the role of Hermione Granger in the 'Harry Potter' film series aged just 10 - tried to "close off" in public to try and detract interest in her because she felt so uncomfortable in the spotlight.
She admitted: "I spent most of my time trying to convince everyone I was incredibly boring because I needed privacy and a minute to figure myself out.
"I used to have to go numb and close myself off, for example on the red carpet, just to get through it."
But Emma finally feels comfortable with herself and is trying to be her "most authentic self" in public, as well as in private.
She told Porter magazine: "Now at 25 for the first time in my life I feel like I have a sense of self that I'm comfortable with.
"I actually do have things that I want to say and I want to be my most authentic self. I don't want there to be a big separation between the public and the private person.
"It's definitely the harder road to tread, but without a doubt, ultimately the most rewarding."
The 'Perks of Being a Wallflower' actress used to feel "inadequate" because she struggled to keep up with her more self-assured friends when she was growing up.
She recalled: "The level of questioning I was under, coming at such a young age. People asking me 'What do you think of this? Who are you, who are you, who are you?'
"I felt so inadequate because I just didn't have answers yet. I had so many friends who had a clear sense of self, who knew that they liked certain things, like the smell of grass, or what their favourite colour was.
"I envied those girls because I was so unsure of myself.'
"I questioned everything. I was terrified by the level of interest in me."
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