Meet Emma Watson’s rumoured boyfriend Kieran Brown, who she met at Oxford University: he studies 19th century literature and is reportedly unfazed by the Little Women actress’ celebrity

Emma Watson has long been admired for her versatile roles, from the fame-obsessed Nicki in 2013’s The Bling Ring to the seemingly superficial Meg in 2019’s Little Women. But it’s perhaps her most iconic portrayals – Hermione Granger in Harry Potter and Belle in Disney’s live-action Beauty and the Beast – that most clearly mirror her off-screen persona.

Growing up with two lawyer parents, Watson placed a high value on learning. By the time she turned 19 and had already launched a successful acting career, she chose to pursue higher education at Brown University, where she earned a degree in English literature in May 2014. Nine years later, she enrolled at Oxford University to pursue a master’s degree in creative writing.

With a career spanning over two decades, the 34-year-old actress admits that stepping away from acting wasn’t easy.

“Because I’m in a career that moves very quickly, the decision to take time to do these things felt like a very big decision,” she shared with British Vogue in December 2023. “[Choosing] to go back and write and study and get behind the camera was terrifying for me because I’d never done it before. I had always been in front of the camera; I’d always been an actor.”

Perhaps it was this unexpected detour and brief break from the spotlight that led her to her latest partner. Meet Kieran Brown, her rumoured boyfriend.

He is a PhD student at Oxford University

During her first year in Oxford’s creative writing programme, Watson met Kieran Brown, a PhD candidate specialising in 19th century literature and economics.

“Emma is studying creative writing, and his thesis is all about literary theory – so they have a lot to talk about. She looks so loved up with Kieran,” a source told The Sun, which first reported on Brown’s background.