Harry Potter Star Emma Watson Officially Banned From Driving

Emma Watson has officially been banned from getting behind the wheel after being caught speeding over the legal limit by more than 25 percent.

The actress, best known for playing Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films, probably wished she had a magical way to undo her penalty. She was photographed driving 38mph in a 30mph zone in Oxford, England, during the evening of July 31 last year.

Watson didn’t show up in person for her brief five-minute court hearing, which was held today (July 16) at High Wycombe Magistrates' Court. The courthouse is about a 45-minute drive southeast of the city where she’s currently attending university.

The 35-year-old actress, who hasn’t appeared in a film since the 2019 remake of Little Women, is currently enrolled in a master’s program in creative writing at the University of Oxford. She began her studies there in 2023.

But her star status didn’t earn her any favors. District Judge Arvind Sharma handed her a $1,400 fine. On top of that, Watson already had nine penalty points on her license before this latest speeding violation, where she was caught driving 26 percent over the speed limit.

The judge added three more points to her record and ruled that she’s banned from driving for six months. It was a tough ruling, but in line with UK driving laws.

Emma Watson has been banned from driving for six months Arnold Jerocki/GC Images

Interestingly, Watson wasn’t the only Harry Potter cast member fined for speeding in that courtroom on the same day.

Zoe Wanamaker, who played Madam Hooch — the flying instructor who taught Hermione to fly a broomstick in the first Harry Potter movie back in 2001 — was also caught going over the speed limit, although by a smaller margin of 15 percent.

Even though she wasn’t speeding as much as Watson, the 76-year-old was still caught driving 46mph in a 40mph zone, which is a notable violation in the UK.

The Madam Hooch actress was also caught speeding Jordan Peck / Contributor / Getty

Wanamaker’s speeding incident happened on August 7 last year while she was driving along the M4 in Newbury. That location is roughly a 40-minute drive south of Oxford.

She received the same penalty as Watson: a $1,400 fine and a six-month driving ban. Before this incident, she too had already accumulated nine penalty points on her driver’s license. Judge Sharma added three more points to her record during sentencing.

Although she was born in New York, Wanamaker has spent most of her career acting in British television. She only appeared in the first film adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series.