Emma Watson News: 'Harry Potter' Star Takes Acting Hiatus For Feminism

Emma Watson has long garnered her A-List status thanks to her film roles like Hermione Granger in the "Harry Potter" series. But now, the "Beauty and the Beast" actress says she's leaving acting behind for a while to pursue a greater calling.

So what will Emma Watson be doing if she's not acting? Well, according to Page Six, the "Noah" star wants to focus on her worth with the United Nation's HeForShe gender equality campaign, and to better herself.

"I'm taking a year away from acting to focus on two things, really," Watson told Bell Hooks of Paper Magazine. "My own personal development is one. I know that you read a book a day. 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," Watson continued. "I almost thought about going and doing a year of gender studies, then I realized that I was learning so much by being on the ground and just speaking with people and doing my reading."

As for her work with HeForShe, Emma Watson explains that there are many projects in the works, include a HeForShe IMPACT champions team.

"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," Watson explained.

Not only that, but Emma is also actively participating in "organizing a HeForShe arts week, a university tour, and launching the HeForShe website."

"I'm on my journey with this and it might change, but I can tell you that what is really liberating and empowering me through being involved in feminism is that for me the biggest liberation has been that so much of the self-critiquing is gone," Watson said.