Hermione, We Hardly Knew Ye

March 23, 2007 — -- Hermione may be history.

The entertainment blogosphere is buzzing with reports that Emma Watson, the actress who plays the role of Hermione in the wildly popular "Harry Potter" movies, may not sign up for the next movie.

The reports have prompted a flood of reaction on "Harry Potter" fan sites, mostly of the "OMG" and "!!!!!!!" variety. Warner Bros., the studio that makes the movies, tried to dampen speculation by putting out a statement: "We're extremely confident that Emma will be back for films six and seven."

But, with five "Harry Potter" films already under her belt at the tender age of 16, Watson has begun to express some dissatisfaction with her role. She has complained about "not wanting to be known as the 'Harry Potter girl' forever."

Watson was just 10 years old when she was cast as Hermione.

"She was a completely inexperienced actress. She had never done anything in particular. … We tested all of our finalists and when her test came on, someone said, 'Can we put her under contract until she's 40?'" said Janet Hirshenson, a casting director who, along with her partner, Jane Jenkins, runs the Casting Company in Los Angeles.

In addition to casting "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," Hirshenson and Jenkins have cast "The Da Vinci Code" and "A Beautiful Mind" among other films.

It might seem peculiar that any actor would be willing to walk away from millions just to avoid being typecast. But Jason Alexander could probably tell you a thing or two about it. Alexander is so closely associated with his character, George Costanza, from the television series "Seinfeld," that he has been unable to find much success in the nine years since the series ended.

Perhaps that's why it almost seems inevitable. An actress becomes a big star playing, let's say, romantic comedies. And then America's Sweetheart takes a turn playing a down-and-out drug addict.

Typecasting is a double-edged sword, explains Jenkins.

"You can become enormously successful but it's very limiting creatively. Carroll O'Connor was an enormously talented stage actor but he was known for ['All in the Family's'] Archie Bunker. He finally got away from it when he did "In the Heat of the Night," but it took him years."