Watson, who stars opposite Douglas Booth and Russell Crowe in this month's biblical action adventure Noah, added that she preferred women who did not conform to the perfection label.

"I’m excited about the ageing process. I’m more interested in women who aren’t perfect," she said. "They’re more compelling."

The actress also opened up about the difficulties of dealing with her high profile among fellow students when she attended Ivy League university Brown on Rhode Island (she's due to graduate from there in May this year).

"After Harry Potter, all that mattered was university. I didn’t even know if I wanted to be an actress," she said.

"On the first day, I walked into the canteen and everyone went completely silent and turned around to look at me. I had to say to myself, 'It’s OK, you can do this.' You just have to take a deep breath and gather your courage. I have moments where I walk into a bar and it will take me making a joke to put people at ease, to realise I am just a girl."

"It wasn’t always easy to break down barriers, as having men from the British press following me with cameras didn’t help my mission to integrate myself," she added.

Emma Watson hits out at "dangerously unhealthy" pressure on women