Emma Watson has revealed that she was left in an ‘awkward’ situation after a man was taken aback when she offered to pay for his dinner during a date.
Speaking at Facebook’s London offices on Sunday, the 24-year-old actress marked International Women’s Day by calling for women to be the chivalrous sex.
The UN Ambassador for Women, who is famed for playing Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter film franchise, recalled the moment she took her date to her favourite restaurant and asked to foot the bill.
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‘It was really awkward and uncomfortable’: During a chat at Facebook’s London headquarters on Sunday, Emma Watson recalled the moment a man was taken aback when she offered to pay for his dinner during a date
‘It was really awkward and uncomfortable,’ she explained to Radio 1’s Greg James. ‘It was not going down well. I’m sure he would say he was a feminist but he was just like, ooh, I’m not really sure about this, it’s making him feel a bit tetchy.’
However, the British actress went on to reveal how the pair discussed what had happened.
‘The cool thing was that we were both willing to have the conversation about why it was awkward, or why it was uncomfortable,’ she continued. ‘We were able to have this daogue.
Doing her duty: The 24-year-old actress marked International Women’s Day by calling for women to be the chivalrous sex
‘We were able to have this daogue’: The British actress went on to reveal how the pair discussed what had happened and how he understood that her forking the bill did not undermine him
‘I chose the restaurant because it’s my favourite restaurant. I would love to pay, but next time, you choose the place and you pay, or whatever it is. The key is chivalry should be consensual, both parties should be feeling goodaout that.’
Meanwhile, Emma also confessed she was ‘raging’ after a hoax website threatened to release nude photographs of her online.
The Hollywood star said the website targeted her after she spoke up for women’s rights.
‘After I gave my speech [at the UN] there was a website threatening to release naked pictures of me,’ she revealed.
‘I knew it was a hoax, I knew the pictures didn’t exist, but I think a lot of people that were close to me knew gender equality was an issue but didn’t think it was that urgent, that it was a thing of the past.
Vicious attack: The UN Ambassador for Women said the website targeted her after she spoke up for women’s rights
‘And then when they saw that the minute I stood up talking about women’s rights I was immediately threatened, I think they were really shocked, my brother was particularly upset.
‘This is a real thing that’s happening now, women are receiving threats. I was raging, it made me so angry, I was like, this is why I have to be doing this. If anything, if they were trying to put me off it, it did the opposite.’
In September, a web page entitled Emma You Are Next, featuring an image of the star next to a countdown clock, appeared to have been created by a user of image-sharing website 4chan, on which lewd photos of celebrities including Jennifer Lawrence and Kate Upton were recently posted.
Speaking in support of the He For She campaign, during the chat, she added: ‘Our society in general devalues the she, I mean the qualities that are associated with the feminine that are found in all of us.
‘There’s this imbalance, this distortion that is just hindering our progress, it’s causing discord, violence and fear the world over.”
Furious: Emma also revealed she was ‘raging’ after a hoax website threatened to release nude pictures of her recently
‘It’s uncomfortable, it’s awkward to acknowledge there is a problem, but we need to understand we are complicit.
‘Another anecdote is that a lot of the criticism I have had in my life, some of the harshest moments have been comments from other women. It’s not enough to ask men to come and support us.
‘We really need to support each other, we really do. So, I guess I would say be brave enough to acknowledge that things are not there yet and support each other.’
One audience member asked Watson if she was paid less than her male counterparts in the Harry Potter films.
She replied: ‘I wouldn’t dream of complaining about my financial circumstances, but yes, it is a big problem in my industry, it is a huge problem that needs to be addressed.’
Fight for equality: Among the other subjects covered during the chat were equal pay and the demeaning ways in which women are often viewed
Emma Watson