Ever since I dove into the bottomless, inescapable pit that is Harry Potter, I have loved Emma Watson. Her portrayal of the brilliant Hermione Granger throughout the years has been a testament to her immense talent. I fell in love with the actress, Emma Watson, and then I fell deeper in love with the activist, Emma Watson. Here was this beautiful actress using her voice to try and make the world a better place. Throughout her career she never put a halt on her education, and even became a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador. She helped launch the campaign He For She, an amazing campaign calling for gender equality. I don’t have any kids, but if I did I would definitely want them looking up to Emma Watson as a role model.

When I first found out that Disney was making a live-action Beauty and the Beast movie, I was a little excited. It was always one of my favorite Disney movies, and Belle was one of my favorite Disney princess growing up. But when I found out that Emma Watson was going to play Belle, I wanted that movie delivered to me immediately. I couldn’t believe that Emma freaking Watson was going to play Belle. As tiny trailer after tiny trailer came out, I only grew more excited for the movie. Later it was released that Emma Watson refused to wear a corset for the movie, saying that Belle should not be wearing something that restricts her movement for the sake of a tinier waist. This added yet another reason to love her. She isn’t someone to choose conventional beauty over practicality. She is sending a message to girls that you can be beautiful without putting yourself through torture.

Disney also really knew how to market this live-action Beauty and the Beast movie, especially with Emma Watson in the cast. They recently released a sound clip of Emma Watson singing the song "Something There" from the movie. My jaw immediately dropped the first time I heard this clip. Her voice is absolutely stunning, and leaves me wanting more and more. This is only a snippet of the song, so I can only imagine how beautiful the rest of the song sounds, as well as all the other songs from the movie. A gorgeous singing voice is not everything, but in this case it was a wonderful little add-on to the ever growing list of reasons I love Emma Watson.

Of all my celebrity crushes, and I will admit I have quite a few, Emma Watson is definitely in the top of the list. She is probably one of the greatest human beings ever. As a child of divorce, she has reached numerous achievements during her extremely successful career. Growing up watching the Harry Potter movies, her expert portrayal of Hermione was a wonderful part of many people’s childhoods. We felt as if we were growing up with her. But she didn’t stop at being a talented actress, with an evidently beautiful singing voice. She used her very public voice and became an activist for gender equality. Emma Watson is the greatest role model anyone could ask for, and I will love her until the day I die.