'Harry Potter' Star Emma Watson Says Mom And Mia Farrow Inspired Haircut

Emma Watson had been wanting to chop all her hair off for years, but her decade-long commitment to "Harry Potter" required her to resemble a long-haired witch rather than a close-cropped pixie.

As soon as production on "Deathly Hallows," the two-part "Harry Potter" series finale, wrapped earlier this year, the 20-year-old Brit took a trip to the salon. The stylish results have been on full display as she works the publicity circuit on both sides of the Atlantic. In a recent conversation with MTV News, Watson revealed that the inspiration behind the new look has both familial and cinematic roots.

"My mother has this haircut and this has been her signature look since she was, like, 16. I just always thought it was really cool and wanted to try it," Watson told. "When I went in to my hairdresser, I took in a picture of Mia Farrow and was like, 'I want to look like this.' " Little did she know how shocking the new 'do would become. "I can't believe how much of a stir this haircut caused. It's pretty nuts," she said. "The haircut has been a big deal."

And it's been a long time coming. Watson's hair simply hadn't been her own since she joined the franchise as Hermione Granger at the turn of the millennium. She would have had to ask permission to get her locks trimmed — and she knew Warner Bros. would never OK such a drastic makeover.

"I never even asked," the actress said. "I just knew it wasn't an option. Hermione is famous for this long, bushy brown hair, so I had to stick with it."

Now she views her new look as a sign that she's embarked on a new chapter in her life. "I needed a change when 'Potter' was done, so I was like, this will be it to mark the new phase in my life," she said.

Check out everything we've got on "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1."

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