Emma Watson broke her silence on Friday about the death of her Harry Potter co-star Dame Maggie Smith at the age of 89 – and shared a touching tribute to her Instagram Stories.
It was revealed that the Downtown Abbey actress died in hospital on Friday morning – sparking an outpouring of tributes as celebrities and fans mourned the heartbreaking loss.
Watson, 34, uploaded a behind-the-scenes photo of himself and Smith apparently filming a scene from Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2.
Emma had a small smile on her face as Maggie gently placed her hand on the side of the actress’ face in a sweet gesture.
‘When I was younger, I had no idea of Maggie’s legend – the woman I was lucky enough to share space with.
“It’s only now that I’ve grown up that I’ve come to realize that I was sharing the screen with a true definition of greatness.”
Emma Watson, 34, broke her silence on Friday about the death of her Harry Potter co-star Dame Maggie Smith at the age of 89 – sharing a touching tribute on her Instagram Stories; seen in 2023 in Brooklyn
Watson continued, “She was real, honest, funny and self-respecting. Maggie, there were a lot of male professors and thank God you held your own.”
‘Thank you for all your kindness. I will miss you,” Emma concluded to her fans and followers.
The pair starred together in the Harry Potter franchise from 2001 until the final film premiered a decade later in 2011.
Emma played the role of Hermione Granger, while Maggie took on the character of Professor Minerva McGonagall.
During a previous interview on The Late Show With David Letterman, the star opened up about the advice Smith gave her at the start of her own acting career, per Elle.
Watson revealed that she would get ‘nervous’ watching herself on screen, especially with the ‘early Harry Potter films’.
“I got really nervous and twisted like a pretzel in my chair and bit my nails and stuff.”
Watson, 34, uploaded a behind-the-scenes photo of himself and Smith apparently filming a scene from Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2
“When I was younger, I had no idea of Maggie’s legend – the woman I was lucky enough to share space with,” she wrote; seen in 2016 in London
“Then I’m pretty sure Maggie Smith said this to me, it was ten years ago, so sometimes I have a hard time remembering it…”
“But she basically said, ‘How do you expect to get better if you don’t watch your performances?’ and I said, ‘Well, that’s a good point.'”
Emma continued, “Yeah, she basically just told me to get a grip, and I’ve been watching my performances ever since.”
Following news of Smith’s death on Friday, other Harry Potter stars paid tribute to the award-winning actress.
Daniel Radcliffe – who played Harry Potter in the eight films – mourned the loss of a ‘legend’.
Radcliffe first worked with Dame Maggie in 1999, when he was just nine years old, in the TV miniseries David Copperfield.
He also starred alongside four more of his future Harry Potter co-stars, including Zoe Wanamaker, Imelda Staunton, Dawn French and Paul Whitehouse.
Paying tribute to her on social media platform
During a previous interview on The Late Show With David Letterman, the star opened up about the advice Smith gave her at the start of her own acting career, according to Elle.
He added, “I knew next to nothing about her except that my parents were impressed that I would be working with her.”
‘The other thing I knew about her was that she was a Lady, so the first thing I asked her when we met was, ‘Do you want me to call you Lady?’ whereupon she laughed and said something to the effect of ‘don’t be ridiculous!’
‘I remember being nervous to meet her and she immediately put me at ease. She was incredibly kind to me during that shoot, and after that I was lucky enough to work with her for another ten years on the Harry Potter films.”
He spoke of her “fierce intellect” and “gloriously sharp tongue” and said she could “intimidate and charm at the same time and, as anyone will tell you, was extremely funny.”
Radcliffe added, “I will always consider myself incredibly lucky to have been able to work with her and spend time with her on set.”
“The word legend is overused, but if it applies to anyone in our industry, it applies to her. Thanks Maggie.”
Daniel Radcliffe – who played Harry Potter in the eight films – mourned the loss of a ‘legend’
He spoke of her “fierce intellect” and “gloriously sharp tongue” and said that she “could intimidate and charm at the same time and, as anyone will tell you, was extremely funny”; seen in May in NYC
It comes after Rupert Grint, who played Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter franchise, updated his Instagram profile picture to a sweet throwback of Maggie and himself to pay tribute to her.
In addition to the Harry Potter franchise, Dame Maggie Smith played several other roles in projects during her lengthy career.
She also played the Dowager Countess of Grantham in the series Downtown Abbey and appeared in the 1985 film A Room With A View, alongside Helena Bonham Carter – who also starred in Harry Potter.
Other celebrities mourned the loss of Smith on Friday, including Downtown Abbey star Hugh Bonneville and Sandra Bullock.
JK Rowling also shared a post on X that read: ‘Somehow I thought she would live forever. RIP Dame Maggie Smith.”
Maggie’s sons, Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens, announced their mother’s death in a statement on Friday.
Rupert Grint, who played Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter franchise, has updated his Instagram profile photo with a sweet throwback of Maggie and himself to pay tribute to her
JK Rowling also shared a post on X that read: ‘Somehow I thought she would live forever. RIP Dame Maggie Smith’
Maggie’s sons, Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens, announced their mother’s death in a statement on Friday; seen in 1969
‘She passed away peacefully in hospital this morning, Friday 27 September. She was an intensely private person and was ultimately with friends and family.”
They continued: ‘She is survived by two sons and five loving grandchildren, who are devastated by the loss of their special mother and grandmother.’
‘We would like to take this opportunity to thank the wonderful staff at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for their care and continued kindness during her final days.’
Chris and Toby concluded with: ‘We thank you for all your kind messages and support and ask that you respect our privacy at this time.’