Harry Potter actress Emma Watson has been banned from driving for six months, after she was caught speeding. Watson, who played Hermione Granger in the film franchise, drove 38mph in a 30mph zone in Oxford on the evening of 31 July last year. Watson already had nine points on her licence before the speeding incident occurred, the court heard. The 35-year-old, now a student, was made to pay a total of £1,044 at High Wycombe Magistrates' Court on Wednesday. She did not attend the five-minute hearing. Representatives for Watson have been approached for comment. The actress has been studying a master's degree in creative writing at the University of Oxford since 2023. Watson shot to fame in 2001 with the release of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, alongside fellow child stars Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint. She starred in eight Potter films in total, with the last being released in 2011, before going on to appear in movies such as Beauty and the Beast, The Bling Ring and The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Watson's last film role was in the 2019 remake of Little Women, directed by Greta Gerwig. She launched her own sustainable gin brand with her brother in 2023. A new TV adaptation of JK Rowling's Harry Potter books is currently in production, starring Dominic McLaughlin as Harry, alongside Arabella Stanton as Hermione and Alastair Stout as Ron. John Lithgow has been cast as Dumbledore, Nick Frost as Hagrid, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall and Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape. The series, being produced by HBO, is expected to take a decade to complete. Separately, another Harry Potter actress, Zoe Wanamaker, was fined for speeding on the same day and in the same court as Watson. Wanamaker, who played Madam Hooch in the wizarding series, was caught speeding on 7 August 2024, on the M4 in Newbury, Berkshire. The 76-year-old was driving at 46mph in a 40mph limit, the court heard. She was also fined £1,044 and banned for six months. Wanamaker's lawyer Duncan Jones said that she was not asking for "special treatment" and accepted the fine. Like Watson, Wanamaker had nine points on her licence before the speeding incident occurred. District Judge Arvind Sharma, sentencing, endorsed three more points on both stars' licences, meaning both are disqualified for six months. — BBC
