Emma Watson is Taking a Year Off From Acting For a VERY Important Reason

​Emma Watson has come a LONG way from her Hermione days. She's no longer a 'former child actor', or just a plain old actor. She's an icon for modern feminism. An activist. A student. 

So it makes sense that Emma wants to take a little pause from the thing that initially brought her fame. It's all too easy to be pigeonholed. Now's the time to make sure everyone knows that Emma Watson isn't all about the acting thing. 

And so, she's taking a year off from acting. 

Dun. Dun. DUUUUUN. 

We're not going to lie - we are a teensy bit bummed about it. We like seeing Emma on our screens. We want more Emma, all the time. 

But in an interview for PAPER magazine with bell hooks, Emma opened up about why now's the right time to press pause. And her reasons are entirely valid and VERY important. So we've decided we're okay with the decision. 

[instagram ]https://instagram.com/p/BAhgjIIn3P1/" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);" >

"I'm taking a year away from acting to focus on two things, really," Emma explained. "My own personal development is one. I know that you read a book a day. My own personal task is to read a book a week, and also to read a book a month as part of my book club. I'm doing a huge amount of reading and study just on my own. 

"I almost thought about going and doing a year of gender studies, then I realized that I was learning so much by being on the ground and just speaking with people and doing my reading. That I was learning so much on my own. I actually wanted to keep on the path that I'm on. I'm reading a lot this year, and I want to do a lot of listening.​"

Emma goes on to say that she'll be using her time off from acting to focus more on HeForShe and her work with the UN, and to learn more about feminism in general through her own path of self-teaching and listening to the stories of those around her. "I want to listen to as many different women in the world as I can," says Emma.