Emma Watson Replaces Scarlett "Too Old" Johansson In Film

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Huffington Post   |   April 18, 2008 10:04 AM

Read More: Celebrities, Emma Watson, Harry Potter, Napoleon And Betsy, Roundup, Scarlett Johansson, Slideshow, Breaking Entertainment News
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Emma Watson, aka Hermione from the "Harry Potter" films, landed a plum role in an upcoming movie after Scarlett Johansson was deemed overage:

"Harry Potter" heroine Emma Watson is attached to star in the period romance "Napoleon and Betsy," replacing Scarlett Johansson who was deemed too old for the role.


Watson, 18, will play Betsy Balcombe, a young, impetuous noblewoman trapped on the isolated British island of St. Helena who falls in love with Napoleon, who has been exiled there.

Johansson, 23, is still serving as a producer. The indie project comes from writer-director Benjamin Ross.

Watson is known for her role as Hermione Granger in Warner Bros.' "Harry Potter" films, and is completing filming on the sixth installment, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince."

With filming of the last chapter, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," scheduled to commence in early 2009, Watson hopes to shoot "Napoleon and Betsy" in the fall.

In other Watson news, she turned 18 this week, on April 15. Along with that birthday came access to her substantial "Harry Potter" money: about $20 million in earnings:

Emma Watson, the actress who has played Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films since she was 12, gained access to a cool £10.5 million worth of earnings after coming of age this week...


Her parents are reported to be among a select, but growing, band of mothers and fathers taking steps to ensure that their wealthy teenagers don't blow their fortunes on sex, drugs and rock'n'roll by enrolling her in an intensive three-day financial education course run by the private bank Coutts.

 
 

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- bookon See Profile I'm a Fan of bookon

Firstly, Scarlett looks older than she is. Secondly, the part is for a teenager. Scarlett had a hard time doing that when she WAS a teenager.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 01:41 PM on 04/22/2008
- FirstShirt See Profile I'm a Fan of FirstShirt

That's ok. The idea of Scarlett being an "older" woman is somehow erotic.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 12:10 PM on 04/22/2008
- carex See Profile I'm a Fan of carex

Too, old? But worth the over acting of Emma?

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 10:43 AM on 04/22/2008
- TheWesternBreed See Profile I'm a Fan of TheWesternBreed

Betsy Balcombe, daughter of an Englishman assigned to Napoleon's place of exile on St. Helena Island, was Napoleon's friend when she was between the ages of 13-16. So of course the younger an actress that could be cast, the truer to life, that's all. I don't think anyone considers Scarlett over the hill yet, but having her play a girl of middle-school age would be absurd.

Elizabeth Balcombe Abell wrote her invaluable book "Recollections of Napoleon" when she was in her forties. Sample: ""I never met with anyone who bore childish liberties so well as Napoleon. He seemed to enter into every sort of mirth or fun with the glee of a child, and though I have often tried his patience severely, I never knew him to lose his temper or fall back upon his rank or age to shield himself from the consequences of his own familiarity or of his indulgence to me."

It could make for a nice movie.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 02:53 AM on 04/21/2008
- Harrier See Profile I'm a Fan of Harrier

You would think, the producers would have thought about this when they made the first estimate

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 01:48 AM on 04/21/2008
- vandegrasse See Profile I'm a Fan of vandegrasse

I thought it was f..... up when fifty was considered old. What a world indeed!

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 03:43 PM on 04/20/2008
- Wyntyr See Profile I'm a Fan of Wyntyr

Good for Emma! I think she has a lot of talent and this is a great role for her to play.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 10:24 AM on 04/20/2008
- adzeman See Profile I'm a Fan of adzeman

Poor Scarlett, washed up at 23. I'm opening a home for over the hill actresses if you need shelter Ms Johansson. Free of charge. LOL

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 09:18 AM on 04/20/2008
- kellygrrrl See Profile I'm a Fan of kellygrrrl

I think it's possibly more the case that she is
"too Sexy"
it's not an age thing, but a "look" thing

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 08:37 PM on 04/19/2008
- JustifiablyParanoid See Profile I'm a Fan of JustifiablyParanoid

I had the same impression. Sometime your looks - like it or not - box you in for one reason or another. Probably the case here, because goodness knows, at 23, she isn't bloody old.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 02:50 PM on 04/20/2008
- Pippilangstrumpf See Profile I'm a Fan of Pippilangstrumpf

In my opinion, Emma is not a very good actress. Talk about emoting. I thought she was HORRIBLE as Hermione. In the books, Hermione was a know it all and she was often exasperated with her cohorts...but she was not bitchy.
She had a vulnerable charm in the books, but that definitely did not carry over into the movies.
In the movies, Emma had a constant scowl on her face...it was very disconcerting to me, and it's like she did nothing but turn Hermione into an over-emoting tween bitch.

I don't think we'll be seeing much of her on the big screen in the coming years.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 04:00 PM on 04/19/2008
- djg55555 See Profile I'm a Fan of djg55555

I agree completely. Of the three (Radcliffe, Grint, and Watson), only Radcliffe showed any spark of acting talent. Of course, all three are obvously very attractive, and therein lies your answer. Which I think is quite sad.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 02:31 PM on 04/21/2008
- wildflowermaven See Profile I'm a Fan of wildflowermaven

Although Hollywood is famous for tossing women aside when they start to age, I have to make one comment on the possibility that the filmmakers made the right decision. Some roles need to be age appropriate, like could you imagine a 20 year old playing Hermione Granger in the 1st Harry Potter movie when the character was supposed to be 12?
I don't know the situation, but I know of cases where having older actresses play certain roles interferes with the story. One experience I had was with some of the Jane Austen adaptations, like Sense and Sensibility. I couldn't really relate to why Marianne was so passionate and tempestuous until I realized the character is supposed to be 16-17 years old. The movie I had seen featured a great, but older actress playing her, and I couldn't figure out why she was so clueless. I recently saw a different adaptation with an actress closer to the real age (or looked like it) and suddenly it clicked, she's a teenager, what 16-17 year old doesn't do that, chose a guy based on his name and sweeping romantic assumptions. I know I did.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 02:42 PM on 04/19/2008
- SKayum See Profile I'm a Fan of SKayum

I see your point; but the so called "age appropriate" 2005 Pride and Prejudice featured an inept Darcy (which is funny in that the character and not the actor is supposed to be inept) and a bitter shrewish Lizzy. Austen is tricky - for the young, yes, but with material that often most befit the talents of more mature actors.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 12:03 AM on 04/20/2008
- FogBelter See Profile I'm a Fan of FogBelter

Well ... If Ms Johansson is looking for a retirement home, I'm sure I could make space for her. It's the least I could do for a Senior ;^)

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 02:00 PM on 04/19/2008
- wadenelson1 See Profile I'm a Fan of wadenelson1

Get in line.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 08:53 PM on 04/19/2008
- hapkidokid See Profile I'm a Fan of hapkidokid

I'd hit it.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 03:45 AM on 04/19/2008
- Dogma See Profile I'm a Fan of Dogma

Scarlett Johansson isn't too anything. She's as perfect as any actress can get.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 01:29 AM on 04/19/2008
- woundedduck See Profile I'm a Fan of woundedduck

They're both too old for the role. Go find an up-and-coming blastocyst already.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 08:50 PM on 04/18/2008
- tkondaks See Profile I'm a Fan of tkondaks

Blastocyst? Too old.

Get some primordial plasma or cosmic dust...that should satisfy the pedophile demographic.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 09:07 AM on 04/19/2008
- totalliberal See Profile I'm a Fan of totalliberal

She was 13.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 11:07 PM on 04/18/2008
- LeftLeanWing See Profile I'm a Fan of LeftLeanWing




In The First Wives Club, Goldie Hawn's character states that there are three ages for women in Hollywood "Babe, District Attorney and Driving Miss Daisy"

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 08:16 PM on 04/18/2008
- MTiffany See Profile I'm a Fan of MTiffany

Yeah, but that was the 90's. Now the three ages for women in Hollywood are "Tween Hooker, One-Too-Many Abortions Hooker, and Anne Coulter"

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 12:23 PM on 04/19/2008
- Sumocat See Profile I'm a Fan of Sumocat

All the knowledge of the world at our fingertips and no one else bothered to look up the age of the role?

"The exiled emperor and a 14-year-old English girl: now it's a Hollywood affair"
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2006/apr/02/film.filmnews

Yeah, in real life, the girl met Napoleon when she was 14. Nothing controversial about wanting someone under 20 to play that role.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 07:45 PM on 04/18/2008
- trinity See Profile I'm a Fan of trinity

Emma has access to her $20 million on her 18th birthday, by her 20th, she'll be broke and on some stupid reality show.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 06:57 PM on 04/18/2008
- Pennsylvanianne See Profile I'm a Fan of Pennsylvanianne

Both she and her parents are too smart to let that happen. And besides, she is not a resident of Hollywood, which encourages young people to self-destruct as a kind of sideshow.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 01:40 AM on 04/20/2008
- eXcommunicate See Profile I'm a Fan of eXcommunicate

Um, the role calls for an 18 year old. What is the problem here? Scarlett Johansson will have plenty of roles to play.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 06:02 PM on 04/18/2008
- RanTheMan See Profile I'm a Fan of RanTheMan

The fact that Johansson comes off older than she is, is a testament to he ability and maturity.

Besides, I'm tired of watching American actors faking British accents, and vice versa.

Watson is better for the role for that reason, more than the "age" thing.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 02:14 PM on 04/18/2008
- woundedduck See Profile I'm a Fan of woundedduck

...and don't forget her huge tomatoes. Those lend maturity, too.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 08:52 PM on 04/18/2008
- urbanscorpio88 See Profile I'm a Fan of urbanscorpio88

I am too shocked. Emma cant hold a candle to Scarlett and she can't act either, anyone seen the Harry Potter films, where she over acts everything.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 02:02 PM on 04/18/2008
- JGatsby See Profile I'm a Fan of JGatsby

Well, its pretty subjective but I think Emma does just fine in Harry Potter and while I agree that Scarlett is quite beautiful I don't think she is that great of an actress. She was awful IMHO in The Black Dahlia. The only movies I thought she excelled in were Ghost World and Lost in Translation, both when she was still a girl.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 03:27 PM on 04/18/2008
- MikeDu See Profile I'm a Fan of MikeDu

Scarlett in those two Woody Allen films... Sorry, it seemed she couldn't act her way out of a paper bag! Ms. Johanson's 'problem' is she hasn't got the chops to be a 'star' and she hasn't got the range to be a character actress. She's mostly famous because she was busty when she was 18. that's a career path several now-forgotten actresses have followed.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 04:51 PM on 04/18/2008
- gurukalehuru See Profile I'm a Fan of gurukalehuru

Lighten up, folks. The powers that be apparently decided that 23 was too old to play an 18 year old. Makes sense to me.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 01:54 PM on 04/18/2008
- lowry99 See Profile I'm a Fan of lowry99

it is a touch ironic, considering that Scarlett was playing...what was it? I think a 23 year old in "Lost in Translation" when she was 18!

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 11:38 AM on 04/21/2008
- AnnArky See Profile I'm a Fan of AnnArky

correction: 18 "is too young". 23 is mature.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 01:36 PM on 04/18/2008
- AnnArky See Profile I'm a Fan of AnnArky

Correction: 23 is Too Young. In other words, Emma Watson is too young/green to play anything Scarlett would obviously excel at.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 01:35 PM on 04/18/2008
- Maplebird See Profile I'm a Fan of Maplebird

Ah, welcome to Hollywood, where you can be washed up before age 25 (but only if you are female - if you're a guy, you can milk it until you're in your fifties, no problem).
We need some movies that show women of all ages for who they are - smart, sexy, funny, colourful and amazing people. I cannot think of such a movie in recent memory, which is why I don't go to the movies anymore: I am not represented there. I cannot see any of myself reflected on that screen, and it bothers the hell out of me. Things have got to change before I set foot in a theatre anytime soon.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 12:41 PM on 04/18/2008
- BigCheese See Profile I'm a Fan of BigCheese

OK grandma, lemme see if I have this straight...

1. Scarlett Johansson is a "washed up" actress because she is to old to play an 18 year old character.

2. You're not familiar with any recent films that feature older women as smart, sexy, funny, colourful (and don't forget AMAZING!) because you don't go to the theater any more.

3. The reason you don't go to the theater is because Hollywood doesn't make movies about characters that are exactly like you. Great stories, fine craftsmanship and thought-provoking ideas don't enter the equation. You just want stories about you.

4. You would consider going back to the theater if movies with these characters did exist, but of course, you would never know if it did happen since you don't go to the theater.

Frankly, I'm shocked that Hollywood isn't taking your demands seriously. Perhaps you just haven't complained enough. I recommend starting an online petition.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 06:04 PM on 04/18/2008
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