Emma Watson has opened up about the driving ban that has kept her from getting behind the wheel of a car.
While chatting with host Jay Shetty for an installment of the “On Purpose” podcast, which came out on Wednesday, September 24, Watson talked about the aftermath of her ban. She recalled, “I was getting phone calls. Like, it’s on the BBC, it was on international, worldwide news! I was like, ‘My shame…’ It is everywhere.”
She also revealed that she received “so many messages” from people who said, “[It] happened to me too.” According to the star, there were also sentiments along the lines of: “I feel you, this is awful, it sucks.”
On July 31 of last year, Watson was stopped for speeding in Oxford, England, while going 38mph in a 30mph zone, according to the BBC. When she went to court for the incident, it was noted that she already had nine points on her licence. As a result, she was fined £1,044 and banned from driving for six months.
Watson Says She ‘Did Not Have the Experience’ Because of This Reason
GettyWatson — who has stepped away from acting and is currently a student at Oxford University — also explained how working in Hollywood may have affected her driving ability. She noted, “When you worked on movies — I don’t know if people know this — they literally will not insure you to drive yourself to work.”
“I’ve asked so many times,” she said. “You have to be driven. It’s not a choice. Especially because they need you there down to the minute, basically, depending on what they have going on.”
Watson says this resulted in a lack of necessary driving skills that she might have otherwise had.
“So I went from basically only driving myself on weekends or during holiday to when I became a student, driving myself all the time,” she continued. “I did not have the experience or skills, clearly, which I now will and do.”
Watson Now Has Another Mode of Transportation
GettyAlthough it may be a little while before Watson gets behind the wheel of a car, she already has another way to get around town when needed.
“I recently started riding a bicycle,” she said during the podcast interview.
While letting out a laugh, she added, “Yes, I started riding a bicycle before my driving ban, but now it’s particularly fortuitous that I also ride a bicycle for that reason.”
