Emma Watson 'more spiritual' than religious

LOS ANGELES  — Emma Watson was no believer.

She just couldn't see "Black Swan" director Darren Aronofsky telling the biblical story of Noah.

"Darren does these very dark, very intense, very gritty, very real films," the "Harry Potter" actress explained. "And then Noah is kind of — you see this guy with the long beard and there's the animals. ... You can't really picture it."

Then the 23-year-old Watson read the script by Aronofsky and Ari Handel.

"I think it's a really original take on a genre, on a story, on an idea," noted Watson, who portrays Noah's adopted daughter Ila.

Nearing the end of a recent day of interviews promoting "Noah," Watson, in a Stella McCartney dress covered with red hearts, discussed the movie with The Associated Press, as well as her spirituality and the trick to surviving child stardom.

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AP: You followed the "Potter" films with a string of indies. What was it like to have "Noah" put you back in big-budget territory?

Watson: I think there's value in these bigger-scale projects because, obviously, they have this incredible scope. ... But then it's so lovely to work on a more intimate scale and do those kinds of films as well.

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AP: Did stepping into the world of "Noah" make you consider your own take on religion?

Watson: I already had the sense that I was someone who was more spiritual than specifically religious. ... I'm really interested in those things that are more far-reaching than culture, nationality, race, religion.

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AP: Some groups have already criticized Aronofsky for taking liberties with the biblical text. What's your response to them?

Watson: If we had gone with exactly the original story, Noah doesn't say anything until he steps off the ark. You would have been watching a silent film. None of the women are really spoken about in the biblical story. There wouldn't have been any women in it. He had to adapt it for the screen.

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AP: You'll get your degree in English lit from Brown in May. Are you excited?

Watson: I will be having a hell of a party. It will just be a relief, I think, because I've been really juggling so much and it will just be really nice to be able to focus on just one thing but I think I'll miss it, too.

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AP: You've made the transition from child star to adult actress look easy, and we know it can be challenging. How'd you do it?

Watson: You know, it can be a very corrupt environment and situation for a young person and I'm just so thankful that I have people around me who have really held my hand.

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AP: Family, filmmakers, managers?

Watson: Everyone from my publicist through the person who does my hair and makeup, from my brothers through to my friends to my professors who helped support me through my education. I mean there's a huge group of people that just helped me so much. Yeah. I'm a very, very, very lucky girl.