She danced on a pole in “The Bling Ring.” As bookish Hermione Granger, she cast spells in “Harry Potter.” And for the past few years, Emma Watson has been studying for a creative writing degree at Oxford. It was there that she was ticketed for speeding last year, according to the BBC. The leadfooted thespian was doing 38 mph in a 30-mph zone, and the court judgment added three more points to the nine that she already had on her license. Watson paid the fine of approximately $1,400 — which sounds rather steep — and was banned from driving for six months.
OK, 38 in a 30 doesn’t sound like anything too crazy, but apparently Watson has made a habit of this mischief and now has to surrender the keys to her Audi. I would imagine this is a bit of a drag, as she’s now 35 years old and has been on a hiatus from the screen, instead studying at one of England’s most prestigious universities. I’m also wondering if she’s mostly been busting the speed limit by single digits on city streets, or if she’s racked up some more impressive violations on her nation’s motorways.
An extremely hefty fine
What jumps out of the story isn’t that Watson is some kind of speed freak. According to People, her offense in Oxford was captured by a camera. Same thing has happened to me when driving in New York City, and I was zipping along at more than 10 mph above the posted limit. But a $1,400 fine for the Hogwarts alum?
The only thing I can figure is that because Watson was ticketed last year, there must have been some late fees or something that got tacked on. Failing that, some light research into how speeding fines are handled in England indicates that an offender can be billed up to 75 percent of their weekly income. Informal estimates of Watson’s net worth peg it at $85 million, so perhaps whatever she pays herself figured into the fine? So a little less than $2,000 a week? Seems awfully modest for one of the highest paid actresses in the history of cinema. Maybe the judged showed mercy.
Or maybe she’s just gone thoroughly normcore. And to be honest, it’s easier than ever to rack up speeding tickets in cities nowadays, as the reign of the speed camera has arrived.
A history of celebs and speed
Watson joins a group of celebrities who have struggled with the laws of their local roadways. David Letterman often lamented being stopped by state troopers, when the host was behind the wheel of his Porsche 911, as the talk-show host liked to floor it on his commute from Connecticut to Manhattan (he also loved speed so much that he started his own racing team). Elon Musk and Johnny Depp were pulled over in a Tesla Model S. Lindsay Lohan proved she’s no Hermione when she was cited for doing 59 mph in a 30 mph zone. Eric Clapton reportedly clocked 134 mph in France and was outlawed from driving in the country.
Honestly, Watson’s infraction is fairly tame, in the grand scheme of famous people and their misbehavior behind the wheel. Her response was also totally Hermione: she dutifully paid the fine and accepted the six-month suspension of her license (she did not choose to appear in court, thereby sparing the college town a crush of paparazzi). My recommendation is that she take advantage of her considerable and well-earned movie wealth and hire somebody to drive her around for a while.
