An actress, who never watched television and was a dutiful child to her parents, succumbed to the vagaries of stardom and with two back-to-back Oscar nominations she is reckoning her screen presence with more strength. With movies like ‘Angela’s Ashes’, ‘Gosford Park’, ‘Red Dragon’, ‘The Life and Death of Peter Sellers’ she is back to lights, camera, action in Hollywood. She was rejected from two drama schools. Emily came from an ordinary background. Her parents were professionals in their own right. She was born to an architect and a professor in England in 1967. She studied English literature. First time, when a drama company rejected her, she was dejected but she worked as a waitress and secretary. But the acting bug does not quite leave and Watson made a bid for London Drama Studio. She also had the fortune to meet her future husband Jack waters. She later joined the Royal Shakespeare Company and like every other actress dreamt of making it big in Hollywood. She also faced the cameras for the first time with television opposite Sir John Gielgud in ‘A Summer Day’s Dream’. It was an uninhibited sexuality in her performance ‘Breaking the Waves’ that bought Watson close to Oscars. This gave her other good breaks in ‘Hilary and Jackie’ where she played an international cellist, ‘Punch Drunk Love’ and Red Dragon’. In the romantic comedy ‘Punch and Drunk’ she found it hard to play the role. Being a simple English girl who learnt traditional drama skills in England, she had to devise ways to work on the character.

In 2002 Watson decided to try her skills as a writer and a producer. She zeroed in on Andrew Greig’s novel ‘That Summer’ with husband and co-writerJack Waters. The story was about a young Royal Air force Pilot and a radar operator. Will Watson be able to break off from the screen image of Bess McNeill a simple religious woman who prostitutes herself? Despite many offers Emily Watson does not pick up roles she is not comfortable with. In a position herself to reject now she turned down a namesake French film called ‘Amelie’ because she was not comfortable in the language. She also did not want to stay away from her home where she also does charity for children. Watson also refused Shekhar Kapoor’s Elizebeth’ which ultimately went to Cate Blanchet.

Emily Watson is not sitting on her laurels. Exploring new mediums and discovering newer formats to exhibit her talents, she is currently working on adaptation of Thea Beckman’s novel ‘Crusade in Jeans’. The Waterhorse’ is another adaptation of Dick King-Smith’s story on the origin of the Loch Ness monster and another one ‘Fireflies in the Garden’. These films for children also reveal hers is not just lip service to children’s charity that she actively supports. Emily Watson worked on her roles. The closest that she has come to, is that of Jackie in Hilary and Jackie. When she interacted with Hilary she knew she was talking to a real life sister who knew her sister well. Hilary was charmed to know that Watson had done her homework well. Well almost, as her husband videotaped certain sequences for her to fine-tune her performance as a cellist. It took a toll on her fingers. They were badly damaged but never the less the show went on to become acclaimed. At forty years Watson is continuing to pursue the challenges provided by new stories. It would be a while to see Emily cast in another leading role leading to the red carpet. Will ‘Miss Potter’ do the honors and children give her the applause in a character role?