The 20-year-old actress – who landed the role of Hermione Granger in the 'Harry Potter' film franchise when she was just nine years old – admits she found her fame "scary" at times because there were so few limits imposed on her during her adolescence.
She said: "I do things in my own way, but I've never felt any need to rebel. To be honest, I've always had far too much freedom. I had a job when I was 10. I started living on my own when I was 17 or 18. I've earned my own money; I've travelled the world. What would I rebel against?
"I've had so much freedom, sometimes it was hard. My parents wanted to protect me, but they had no idea how to. I had to learn as I went and make my own mistakes.
"I went from being totally unknown and never acting professionally to being in a major movie and being very famous. It all happened so quickly, I didn't have any time to work things out. It's been pretty scary at times."
The British beauty is now studying at America's Brown University and is delighted to be treated just like any other student.
She told America's Marie Claire magazine: "The first year at Brown was about finding my feet. I found a great group of girlfriends, and now that I know how things work and what the professors expect, I'm really excited about going back for my second year, because I feel this time I can relax and enjoy it.
"Brown has a real sense of community, and people are very protective of me. They really look out for me; they want me to feel like I'm part of it."
