Emma Watson Sent Love to Broadway's Hermione Noma Dumezweni After She Gave A Vulnerable Interview

Claire Dodson
Updated
"I want to burst out into tears because I am. I am on Broadway. I am on Broadway."

The first Harry Potter play, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, made it across the pond to Broadway in April, with a good portion of the original cast sticking around. That cast includes Noma Dumezweni, the Olivier Award-winning actress who plays Hermione Granger and has been celebrated for her Cursed Child performance thus far. This week, Noma gave a moving interview about her dreams of Broadway as a black woman and refugee (she immigrated to England as a child in 1977 from Uganda) — and Emma Watson has already reached out with words of encouragement.

In the video interview, Noma was asked about what it means for her to be on Broadway. Noma, who Harry Potter fans have praised for bringing greater representation to the series, immediately choked up. "The majority of people, their expectations of life are limited. Mine is limited, has been limited growing up," Noma said. "And I'm talking about the immigrant child here. The asylum refugee child here. That's who's crying right now, because I think that's what just hit me."

She went on to talk about how her worldview was shaped as a refugee, and how she never thought she'd actually get to be on Broadway because she didn't see people like her in Broadway plays (Noma does not sing professionally).

"The representation I was given didn't have me in the picture," she said, referencing old movies she loved. "I want to burst out into tears because I am... I am on Broadway. I am on Broadway. I never though this was gonna happen, I dreamed about it, but I thought oh no, it's not for me. People who look like me, it's not gonna happen. I don't sing, it's not gonna happen. It's only people who sing and look like me and dance. Look, if this was a musical I wouldn't be sitting here talking to you."

On Thursday evening, Emma, who played Hermione in the original movie adaptation, tweeted her support of Noma and the vulnerable interview. She wrote, "Love you so much Noma ❤️."

The two actresses actually met in 2016 and took a very cute bonding photo. We love to see two Hermiones sticking together.

Related: See Emma Watson's Adorable Reaction to Meeting the Brand-New Hermione

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