Emma Watson Goes High-Fashion Topless For Vanity Fair

Emma Watson‘s latest appearance in Vanity Fair is a far cry from her typical shoots.
There’s this avant-garde vibe going on, and the actress even goes topless, which we never, ever, ever thought we’d see from her!
Related: Emma Goes Glam In Shanghai
This is definitely new territory for her, although we wouldn’t have minded getting the Beauty and the Beast-inspired spread we’ve been waiting for. Le sigh.
Anyway, Emma gives the obligatory interview as well, talking about everything from books to red carpets to the burdens of fame.
Read on for HIGHlights!

On her boyfriend: “I want to be consistent: I can’t talk about my boyfriend in an interview and then expect people not to take paparazzi pictures of me walking around outside my home. You can’t have it both ways. I’ve noticed, in Hollywood, who you’re dating gets tied up into your film promotion and becomes part of the performance and the circus. I would hate anyone that I were with to feel like they were in any way part of a show or an act.”
On Beauty and the Beast: “When I finished the film, it kind of felt like I had made that transition into being a woman on-screen. [Belle is] absolutely a Disney princess, but she’s not a passive character├óΓé¼ΓÇ¥she’s in charge of her own destiny.”
On her career: “There have been hard moments in my career when I’ve had an agent or a movie producer say, ├óΓé¼╦£You are making a big mistake.’ But what’s the point of achieving great success if you feel like you’re losing your freakin’ mind? I’ve had to say, ├óΓé¼╦£Guys, I need to go back to school,’ or ├óΓé¼╦£I just need to go home and hang out with my cats.’ People have looked at me and been like, ├óΓé¼╦£Is she insane?’ But, actually, it’s the opposite of insane.”
On fame and celebrity: “I’ve been doing this since I was 10 or 11, and I’ve often thought, I’m so wrong for this job because I’m too serious; I’m a pain in the ass; I’m difficult; I don’t fit. But as I’ve got older, I’ve realized, No! Taking on those battles, the smaller ones and the bigger ones, is who I am. I have met fans that have my face tattooed on their body. I’ve met people who used the Harry Potter books to get through cancer. I don’t know how to explain it, but the Harry Potter phenomenon steps into a different zone. It crosses into obsession. A big part of me coming to terms with it was accepting that this is not your average circumstances.”
On taking photos with fans: “For me, it’s the difference between being able to have a life and not. If someone takes a photograph of me and posts it, within two seconds they’ve created a marker of exactly where I am within 10 meters. They can see what I’m wearing and who I’m with. I just can’t give that tracking data.”
On red carpets: “I’d walk down the red carpet and go into the bathroom. I had on so much makeup and these big, fluffy, full-on dresses. I’d put my hands on the sink and look at myself in the mirror and say, ├óΓé¼╦£Who is this?’ I didn’t connect with the person who was looking back at me, and that was a very unsettling feeling.”
On books: “Books gave me a way to connect with my father. Some of my most precious and treasured moments . . . I just remember him reading to me before bed and how he used to do all the different voices. I grew up on film sets, and books were my connection to the outside world. They were my connection to my friends back at school because if I was reading what they were reading we’d have something in common. Later in life, they became an escape, a means of empowerment, a friend I could rely on.”