Emma Watson: 'I was terrified of being deemed a diva'

Emma Watson used to be genuinely terrified she would be labeled a "diva".

The British actress was appointed as a United Nations Women's Goodwill Ambassador back in 2014 and has since been a vocal advocate of gender equality.

However, before finding her voice, the Harry Potter star shares she had to deal with a level of sexism throughout her movie career, and she was so frightened of being labeled "difficult" that initially she didn't question it.

"I had a huge fear that someone was going to call me a diva and was so terrified that I would do anything to appease anyone in order to avoid it," she told Britain's Grazia magazine. "It was ammunition against me because I was so afraid of being called spoilt or difficult, or of people saying movie stardom or fame had changed me."

Going forward, Emma is keen to continue promoting the feminist cause, and would like to see "the sting" that accompanies labels such as diva diminished. The 26-year-old adds that feminism, in her view, involves a concerted effort.

"What makes you a feminist is not actually saying that you are a feminist, it's actually in how you choose to live your life, what you do and what action you take," she explained.

And it was the reversal of gender norms in Emma's latest project, the historical thriller The Colony, which inspired her to take on the role. In the movie, Emma plays Lena, a young woman whose boyfriend is abducted by dictator Augusto Pinochet's secret police during the Chilean military coup in 1973.

"I felt like there was a real role reversal going on in the film, where for once, it wasn't the girl waiting to be rescued. She was the one doing the rescuing," she shared.