Tom Felton Thanks Emma Watson For Helping Him Open Up After Mental Health Struggles
Tom Felton has thanked his Harry Potter co-star Emma Watson for helping him through a difficult time in his life and discussing his mental health issues.
The 35-year-old, who played villain Draco Malfoy in the acclaimed fantasy franchise (based on novels by J. K. Rowling) shares his mental health struggles in his new memoir Beyond the Wand.
The problems came to light a year after filming for Harry Potter concluded and led to an intervention, short stints in rehab, and a break-up with his long-term partner, stunt assistant Jade Olivia Gordon.
Recalling that period in his lift, he shared, per The Independent: 'I was encouraged by a few people, Emma Watson specifically, to tell the whole story and not just sort of cherry-pick the fluffy bits.
'Not just because it was cathartic for me. But also in the hope that sharing those parts of my story will help others that are maybe not going through the best time.'
While Felton didn't give specific details about the cause of his mental battles, he described drinking as a 'symptom'.
He continued: 'I think one of the problems with the word "intervention" is that it naturally insinuates that there is some specific thing that is a problem in most cases, either depression or substance abuse or whatever it may be.
'The reality of my experience was that I had a group of people around me that knew me well enough to know that I was not happy. That I wasn’t being the Tom that they knew. I wasn’t thinking clearly. And it has less to do with what I was doing, and more a case of, they could see that I needed help.
'I think a lot of people when they’re in the muddiest of waters don’t acknowledge how muddy it is.'
Felton and Watson (who played Hermione Granger in the franchise)'s bond dates back to when the Little Women star, now 32, used to follow him around 'like a puppy desperate for his attention', as she admitted.
'I think it was only through Comic Cons that I was introduced to this idea of "shipping,"' Felton said, referring to desire of fans for their heroes to get together, whether in real life or on screen.
He added: 'I know Emma and I don’t have any problems with it.'
During the Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts (watch below) earlier this year, Watson recalled 'falling in love' with Felton during their Harry Potter days.
Watson was 11 years old and Felton was aged 14 at the beginning of film, and she said she was doomed to be seen as the 'little sister' at the time.
Watson previously said: 'I walked into the room where we were having tutoring.
'The assignment that had been given was to draw what you thought God looked like, and Tom had drawn a girl with a backward cap on a skateboard. And I just don't know how to say it – I just fell in love with him.
'I used to come in every day and look for his number on the call sheet, it was number seven, and if his name was on the call sheet, it was an extra exciting day. He was three years above me and so for him he was like, "You're like my little sister."'
While Watson insisted her romantic feelings weren't reciprocated, Felton said he knew about how she felt.
'I think I was in the hair and make-up chair and someone said something along the lines of, "Yeah, she had a crush on you,"' he said during the reunion interview.
'I became very protective over her. Yeah, I've always had a soft spot for her and that continues to this day. There's always been something that's like, I don't know, a kinship.'
In 2011 Watson told Seventeen magazine: 'For the first two movies, I had a huge crush on Tom Felton. He was my first crush. He totally knows. We talked about it - we still laugh about it. We are really good friends now, and that's cool.'
Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard is scheduled for release on October 13.
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