When Emma Watson almost quit the Harry Potter series, would ask herself 'Do I really want to be a part of this?'

Earlier this week, actor Emma Watson's manager had to make a statement denying that she had retired. The rumours gained steam after a speculative news report sent fans into mourning.

As the rumour gained steam, her manager Jason Weinberg said in a statement to EW on Thursday, "Emma's social media accounts are dormant but her career isn't." But this isn't the first time that reports of the actor wanting out of Hollywood have emerged.

In 2013, Harry Potter producer David Heyman said in an interview that Emma, in particular, would always wrestle with not wanting to return to the franchise, because she wanted to pursue her studies. She played Hermione Granger in all eight Harry Potter films.

"Emma [Watson], in particular, was quite academic and was very keen in pursuit of schooling and was wrestling a little bit more than the others. So each time there was a negotiation, it was not about a financial [matter], it really was about, 'Do I want to be a part of this?'" Heyman told The Hollywood Reporter.

In a 2017 Vanity Fair profile, the actor admitted to being quite uncomfortable with fame. “I’d walk down the red carpet and go into the bathroom. I had on so much makeup and these big, fluffy, full-on dresses. I’d put my hands on the sink and look at myself in the mirror and say, ‘who is this?’ I didn’t connect with the person who was looking back at me, and that was a very unsettling feeling,” she said.

Also read: As Emma Watson's fans get emotional on her ‘retirement from acting’, her manager responds to rumours

After the conclusion of the Harry Potter series, her highest-profile role came in Disney's live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast. Her last film was 2019's Little Women.