"I feel like an imposter": Emma Watson describes a feeling many women know all too well.

by Mamamia Team August 4, 2015

Image: Getty.

Her Harry Potter character was considered “the brightest witch of her age”, but in reality Emma Watson sees herself as a bit of a fraud.

In the latest issue of Vogue UK, the 25-year-old actress, UN Goodwill Ambassador for Women and Brown University graduate admits she doesn’t really know how to respond to praise for her acting work — and that she doesn’t remember if the skill came naturally to her.

“It’s something I’ve really wrestled with. I’ve gone back and I’ve quizzed my parents. When I was younger, I just did it. I just acted. It was just there,” Watson, who was catapulted to fame in her role as Hermione Granger, says.

“So now when I receive recognition for my acting, I feel incredibly uncomfortable. I tend to turn in on myself. I feel like an imposter.”

Does this sound familiar to you? It seems the Perks of Being a Wallflower star has experienced a classic case of ‘Imposter Syndrome’, a psychological condition. “It usually stems from a person experiences feelings that they don’t deserve what they’ve achieved, and then they start worrying about the fact that they’re going to be exposed as a ‘fraud’,” explains Sydney psychologist Maria Faustino. (Post continues after gallery.)

The delightful Emma Watson.

Emma Watson.

Emma Watson

Next stop, eyebrows like Emma Watson's (via Twitter)

Emma Watson

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Emma Watson

Watson has described this ‘fear of being caught out’ in a previous interview. “I’m just going, ‘Any moment, someone’s going to find out I’m a total fraud. I can’t possibly live up to what everyone thinks I am’,” she told Rookie Mag in 2013.

Faustino says Imposter Syndrome was once thought to only affect professional women, but it’s been observed across a variety of cultures and demographics and in both men and women.

However, it appears to be particularly common among high achievers, and one look at the other famous faces who have admitted to ‘imposter-like’ feelings suggests this is indeed the case.

Earlier this year, Oscar winner and former Harvard student Natalie Portman spoke of her days at the prestigious Harvard University, where she believed her peers assumed she’d only gained entry because she was famous.

Natalie Portman has also spoken about Imposter syndrome

“I feared people would assume [I was] not worthy of the intellectual rigour here ... [I felt] I wasn’t smart enough to be in this company, that every time I opened my mouth, I would have to prove that I wasn’t just a dumb actress," she admitted.

Emmy Award-winning comedian Tina Fey also knows what it's like: "The beauty of the impostor syndrome is you vacillate between extreme egomania and a complete feeling of: 'I'm a fraud! Oh God, they're on to me! I'm a fraud!'"

Even Meryl Streep, the multiple-award winner, living legend and subject of much worship, has a touch of Imposter Syndrome. "You think, 'Why would anyone want to see me again in a movie? And I don't know how to act anyway, so why am I doing this?" she said in an interview.

Even Meryl Streep feels like a fraud sometimes.

Faustino says there are a few speculated causes of Imposter Syndrome. One is the high pressure to achieve, because this can cause an individual to feel confusion about seeking approval and putting "a lot of eggs in one basket".

"If they have a certain goal they want to achieve, they'll feel that all their self-worth and self-love is in that basket and if they don't achieve it, then they're not worth anything," Faustino explains.

Undertaking a new endeavour or role can also spark a dip in confidence, leading someone to feel worried that they're a fraud.

"There's actually a cycle called the Imposter Cycle. There's a lot of anxiety and self-doubt about in performing, so when they're about to perform a particular task or meet a certain goal, they might either over-prepare or procrastinate. Then, when they do achieve it they feel relieved, but at the same time they keep discounting positive feedback," Faustino says. (Post continues after gallery.)