Emma Watson just made an announcement that likely made Demi Lovato very proud.
Over the weekend, Lovato slammed Taylor Swift for only donating money here and there, saying her fellow singer tries too hard to be “politically correct” and does not use her platform to truly assist with feminist issues.
But no one would ever say this about Emma Watson.
As well-rounded and as grounded as any young celebrity our there, the Harry Potter star tells Paper Magazine that she is about to embark on a year away from the camera.
She lists two reasons why.
“My own personal development is one,” Watson explains. “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’m reading a lot this year, and I want to do a lot of listening.”
Yes, Emma Watson is taking a break from acting in order to read.
But that’s not all.
She wants to read and she wants to educate herself with far grander goals in mind.
“I want to listen to as many different women in the world as I can,” Watson continues.
“That’s something that I’ve been doing on my own, through the UN, the HeForShe campaign, and my work generally. This January, our HeForShe IMPACT champions are ten CEOs who for the first time will be releasing to the media what their companies look like internally.
“So how many CEOs are male or female, the gender wage gap. We’ll be making all of these statements completely transparent, which is huge. It’s never been done before.
“So big companies like Vodafone, Unilever and Tupperware will be standing up to the media and really acknowledging the issues within their own companies and talking about how they are planning to address these issues as HeForShe IMPACT champions.
“I’m very interested and excited to see how that works out. I’ll also take another field trip in the next two or three months. We are organizing a HeForShe arts week, a university tour, and launching the HeForShe website.
“It’s a lot. There’s a lot to do.”
There’s a lot to do when you are a star who cares sincerely about making the world around you a better place, absolutely.
We’ll miss you on the big screen, Emma Watson.
But we wish you the absolute best.