If I Could be Anyone, I'd be...Emma Watson

The amazing Talli Roland is launching her second novel, Watching Willow Watts today! To celebrate she is hosting an 'If I Could be Anyone, I'd be..' party, where bloggers will be posting a picture of their idol and explaining why they picked them. All partiers will be entered into a draw to win Marilyn Monroe paraphernalia, a copy of Watching Willow Watts and a £10 Amazon gift certificate, so if you don't want to miss out you'd better join in the fun today!

So, if I could be anyone, who would I be? Well, I hate to be cheesy, but if I had the choice I wouldn't change. Despite the ups and downs of my life, my faults and imperfections, I'm still pretty damn fine and I wouldn't really want to be a different person. I like being me. But, if I couldn't be myself, and I had to choose someone else, then I'd choose this person:

Emma Watson.



Who doesn't love Emma Watson? She's one of my idols for several reasons including:

1) Her talent. She auditioned for Harry Potter at just nine years old, and even in that first film she showed off natural acting skills. Since then she has grown into an amazing actress capable of portraying a variety of roles and emotions in a true and genuine way. She's also very gifted academically- achieving eight A* and two A Grades in her GCSE Examinations at the age of 16.

"Hermione is so close to who I am as a person that I've never really had to research a role. I'm literally rediscovering what it means to be an actress". 

2) Her creativity. As well as being an incredible actress she is passionate about the arts. She doesn't just limit herself to one medium but has a wide range of creative hobbies and talents.  She is taking a Liberal Arts degree in Ivy League Brown University and her drawings are beautiful (she drew the illustrations for the layout of her old website). She's also done some fashion designing (she's Creative Adviser for organic and fair trade                                                                                                        [source: actress2pictures.com]            
 pioneer People Tree and is collaborating with
Alberta Ferretti on new ethical fashion line Pure Threads).
As well as that she is a successful model, a talented singer and also enjoys writing.

“If I hadn’t done Harry Potter, I would have gone and done years of art. I really do love it, and I’d love to write.”

“I guess I’m a little shy about my art, but I love painting people and expressions and faces. I’ve always done art, though not a lot of people know it.”


3) Her sense of style. She has that natural, elfin beauty and looks amazing in her modelling shots. She also never seems to put a foot wrong fashion-wise. She has twice been chosen by Christopher Bailey to feature as the face of Burberry in their Autumn/Winter campaign in 2009 and Spring/Summer campaign in 2010. As well as appearing on the cover of numerous magazines she has been photographed by the world’s top fashion photographers including Karl Lagerfeld, Mario Testino, Nick Knight and Patrick Demarchelier. I adore her elegant red carpet gowns and her modern pixie crop.

"I thought, If people are going to write about what I'm wearing, then I would wear young British designers who need the publicity."

"There's nothing interesting about looking perfect—you lose the point. You want what you're wearing to say something about you, about who you are."

"My idea of sexy is that less is more. The less you reveal the more people can wonder".


4) Her wisdom. At just 21 she is so sensible and mature, and gives such inspiring advice to her fans.

"I've probably earned the right to screw up a few times. I don't want the fear of failure to stop me from doing what I really care about". 

5) Her passion. Far from being a young, celebrity air-head, Emma has strong opinions, beliefs and passions. She values education and cares about the environment and charity.


"I think a lot of young people like me are very concerned about the environment and care about the wellbeing of those working in extreme poverty. People Tree is all about giving people choice. The more I can help promote Fair Trade and organic clothing manufacture, the greater chance we have as a generation of changing lives and of saving our planet. From little acorns..."

She also believes in true love..

"I'm a feminist, but I think that romance has been taken away a bit for my generation. I think what people connect with in novels is this idea of an overpowering, encompassing love - and it being more important and special than anything and everything else".

6) Her humility. With a figure and CV like hers you wouldn't blame her if she got a little big-headed, but Emma is down to


 earth and appears to be just like a 'normal' girl with no airs and graces or diva-ish requests.

"I have had no control over my life. I have lived in a complete bubble. They found me and picked me for the part. And now I'm desperately trying to find my way through it." 


....So that's why I'd choose to be Emma if I couldn't be myself. I think she makes an excellent role model for young women.

Finally I'd like to congratulate Talli Roland on her book release and tell you a little about it.  Watching Willow Watts is a story about a country girl who discovers that fame can cost a fortune when a YouTube video of her Marilyn Monroe impression goes viral, making her an overnight sensation. Here's the blurb:

For twenty-five-year-old Willow Watts, life has settled into a predictably dull routine: days behind the counter at her father's antique shop; nights watching fuzzy telly whilst the elderly residents of Britain's Ugliest Village bed down for yet another early night. But everything changes when Willow's epically embarrassing Marilyn Monroe impersonation is uploaded to YouTube. A canny viewer spots Marilyn's ghostly image hidden in the film and Willow becomes an international sensation. Her dire little town is suddenly overrun with fans proclaiming her to be the 'new Marilyn'. Egged on by the villagers - whose shops and businesses are cashing in - Willow eagerly embraces her new identity, dying her hair platinum and scoffing cakes to achieve Marilyn's legendary curves. But when the only man she has ever truly loved returns, seeking the old Willow, it's decision time. Should she risk stardom and the village's new-found fortune on love? Or is being Marilyn Willow's real ticket to happiness? 

Sounds gripping and hilarious doesn't it? The paperback is coming out in November. Got to get my hands on a copy!