Emma Watson, best known for her role as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter film series, has been banned from driving for six months and fined £1,044 (about $1,400) after being caught speeding in Oxford, England last year. The 35-year-old actress and activist was found driving her blue Audi at 38 mph in a 30 mph zone on the evening of July 31, 2024, at a time when she was studying at the University of Oxford.
Watson did not attend the brief hearing at High Wycombe Magistrates' Court, but her lawyer stated she "fully understands and accepts her punishment". Before this incident, Watson had already accumulated nine penalty points on her driving licence from three previous offences occurring between October 2023 and January 2024. With the addition of three more points for the recent speeding violation, she reached 12 points, triggering an automatic six-month disqualification under UK law.
Curiously, another "Harry Potter" alum, Zoë Wanamaker—who played Madam Hooch in the film series—was also banned from driving for six months in a separate case heard the same morning. Wanamaker was caught driving 46 mph in a 40 mph zone in Berkshire last August, and likewise received three extra penalty points and a £1,044 fine.
District Judge Arvind Sharma presided over both cases, handing down identical sentences, which highlight a rare convergence for two actors once united on screen at Hogwarts, now both facing driving bans at the same time. Emma Watson, who has since balanced screen work in "Beauty and the Beast" and "Little Women" with academic pursuits and advocacy, accepted the court’s ruling through her legal representative.
Both Watson and Wanamaker did not attend their hearings, and representatives for the actresses have so far declined to comment publicly on the sentences.
