Emma Watson Kicks Off Her Return to Cannes in a Chic Sheer Airport Look

Emma Watson is stepping back into the spotlight during the Cannes Film Festival. The British actress was photographed arriving at Nice Airport today, wearing a black cardigan with a white floral lace skirt. She finished the look off with black ballet flats.

Watson is a Cannes Film Festival veteran, having first attended in 2013 for The Bling Ring:

Watson walks the red carpet at the 2013 premiere of The Bling Ring at Cannes Film Festival.

But her arrival today marks a rare appearance from the star, who has been pursuing a master’s degree at Oxford University. Watson was last seen at a 2025 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game on February 14 in Oakland, California. She was there supporting her friend, musician Tucker Halpern. A source told People that Watson was “very low-key” and looked “excited to be there.”

In December 2023, Watson spoke to British Vogue about taking time away from acting.

“Going into my 30s, I was in this moment of real change and [thinking] ‘What is going on?’” she said. “And it was someone else who said to me, ‘Oh, this is normal. You’re going through your Saturn return.’ [I was] like, ‘What is that and why has no one warned me?!’ I’ve spoken to so many women and so many of my friends who said, ‘Oh, yeah, between 28 and, like, 30, 31, 32, that kind of age, everything shifted.’ ”

Watson decided to go back to school. She acknowledged the cost of that in Hollywood, saying, “Because I’m in a career that moves very quickly, the decision to take time to do these things felt like a very big decision. [Choosing] to go back and write and study and get behind the camera was terrifying for me because I’d never done it before. I had always been in front of the camera; I’d always been an actor.”

But she’s happy with her choice: “I’m just so glad that I did [step away from acting] because I have this feeling of having my own voice and creative space and sovereignty in some way that I don’t think I did before—more autonomy,” she said. “I’m so glad that I allowed things to be messy for a minute and to really allow myself to not know [what’s next], because the knowing that I’ve come to, I wouldn’t trade that for anything.”