Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

In 1999, casting began for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

(released as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the United States), the film adaptation of British author J.K.Rowling 's bestselling novel. Casting agents found Watson through her Oxford theatre teacher and producers were impressed by her confidence. After eight auditions,  producer David Heyman told Watson and fellow applicants Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint  that they had been cast for the roles of the schoolfriends Hermione Granger, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley respectively. Rowling supported Watson from her first screen test.

The release of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in 2001 was Watson's debut screen performance. The film broke records for opening-day sales and opening-weekend takings and was the highest-grossing film of 2001. Critics praised the performances of the three leads, often singling out Watson for particular acclaim; The Daily Telegraph called her performance "admirable", and IGN said she "stole the show".Watson was nominated for five awards for her performance in Philosopher's Stone, winning the Young Artist Award  for Leading Young Actress.