Harry Potter star Tom Felton speaks of ‘secret love’ for Emma Watson in new memoir

Harry Potter star Tom Felton has spoken of his “secret love” for Emma Watson, saying that what started as a solid friendship deepened into something more important.

In his new memoir, Felton, 35, who played antagonist Draco Malfoy, says he came to understand the actress was a “kindred spirit” and says they formed a lifelong bond after meeting on set.

He adds, “I loved her and admired her as a person in a way I could never explain to anyone else.”

Fans of the movies have long speculated about a spark between them, and Felton has denied it for years. But in a candid passage of Beyond The Wand, he admits, “My girlfriend at the time knew there was something unspoken between the two of us.”

In 2019, Miss Watson, 32, visited him at his home in Venice Beach, California, and he posted photos of her learning to play the guitar in pajamas on Instagram, causing a social media sensation. In the book, he says they first met when she was nine and he was eleven at an audition.

She pointed to a microphone in the room and asked, “What’s that?” and he said to her, “It means, of course, that they take us in.” He added: ‘My relationship with Emma didn’t start well. She would be forgiven for not wanting much to do with me. It got worse.’

Felton was in a clique with the other Slytherin actors and they spent their time listening to rap music and going out for cigarette breaks.

Word was passed that Miss Watson, who played Hermione Granger, had “put together a little dance show in her dressing room that she wanted to present to us over lunch… we were predictably dismissive.”

He added: ‘We chuckled our way into Emma’s show and the chuckles grew louder as she danced. We were just fucking guys, mostly out of clumsiness and because we thought taking the p*** was cool. I felt a little ad**k, and rightly so.

“In the end it was up to one of the hair and makeup ladies to tell me what was what.”

But he writes, “I’ve always had a secret love for Emma, ​​though maybe not in the way people would like to hear. That’s not to say there’s never been a spark between us. Certainly, just at different times.’

He was first told that Miss Watson was in love with him when she was 12 and that he was 15 and had a girlfriend. He didn’t really believe it when he was told.

He adds: “Rumors started circulating that there was more to our relationship than we let on. I denied that I liked her that way, but the truth was different.

“My girlfriend at the time knew right away that there was something unspoken between us. I remember using the familiar old line, “I love her like a sister.” But there was more than that.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been in love with Emma, ​​but I loved her and admired her as a person in a way I could never explain to anyone else… we were like-minded people. I’m sure I’ll always have Emma’s back and she’ll always have mine.’

Earlier, Miss Watson spoke about her crush on Felton. She said, “He was my first crush. He totally knows. We’ve talked about it – we’re still laughing about it.’

She is currently dating Brandon, the son of British businessman Sir Philip Green.