Emma Watson Steers Oxford Crew at Summer Eights Regatta
So Emma Watson’s latest extracurricular has her barking orders into a mini mic on the Thames, because apparently mastering wizardry and literature wasn’t enough. The 35-year-old Harry Potter alum, fresh off enrolling at Oxford University in 2023 for a graduate English degree, slipped into a white cap and tank to serve as coxswain for Oxford’s Summer Eights rowing squad, according to Daily Mail photos published May 31. I told you so—Hollywood heroes always need a new hobby.
Sporting purple face paint and snug black-and-purple unitards, her eight rowers followed her every whim as she guided them down the river in classic Grumpy Guru fashion: rolling her eyes at any sloppiness and barking crisp commands into that trusty mic. No magic wand required here—just impeccable timing, a sharp voice and enough stamina to outshout a squad of tired oarsmen.
But don’t think Emma’s trade-up from red carpet to riverbank is a spur-of-the-moment stunt. Weeks before captaining the crew, she made a surprise return to Cannes at the 2025 Film Festival—her first public appearance there in 12 years since promoting Sofia Coppola’s The Bling Ring in 2013 (via E! News). The French Riviera sighting proved she can juggle press flashes as easily as paddle strokes.
Academic life has been on Emma’s agenda since leaving the Potter franchise. After wrapping the eight-film saga, she earned a BA in English lit from Brown University in 2014, then decamped to the English countryside to pursue further studies at Oxford. “I’m so glad that I allowed things to be messy for a minute and to really allow myself to not know what’s next,” she told British Vogue in December 2023. She added that finding her own creative voice and autonomy “is something I wouldn’t trade for anything,” which I grudgingly admit sounds wise—at least on paper.
Meanwhile, Potter co-star Daniel Radcliffe has been busy scrubbing off his child-star image with daring Broadway turns and indie films (People Magazine confirms his recent dad duties too). But Emma’s rowing debut feels refreshingly straightforward—no CGI, no special effects, just pure sweat and river spray.
So yes, the girl who once aced exams in Hogwarts gowns has now swapped her mortarboard for a boat cox. Did anyone expect a different outcome? No? Thought so. And that, dear reader, is why we can’t have nice things.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and Daily Mail, E! News, British Vogue, People Magazine
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
