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Emma Watson shared a heartfelt message to an inspirational autistic fan, who is a huge fan of Harry Potter.
The Hermione Granger actor appeared on Friday’s The Late Late Toy Show, the annual special of the long-running chat show, which showcases the popular toys of the year, on RTE via a video link to speak to Caitriona Kalogeraki, 10.
Caitriona, who raises awareness of autism, was completely taken aback when the Little Women star popped up while testing out Hogwarts-themed games.
Sat in front of some jazzy curtains in the clip, Emma, 32, said: ‘I wanted to send you a message to thank you for all you do to spread awareness around Autism and for speaking about it so eloquently and in a way that empowers and educates other young people.’
‘Thank you for picking me as your favourite Harry Potter character.
‘You seem like such an amazing and special young woman. I’ve heard that you can solve a Rubik’s cube in a crazy amount of time. I am sending all the best and a warm hello from London.’
Emma praised Caitriona for speaking ‘eloquently’ about autism (Picture: RTE)
Caitriona, whose jaw dropped, looked absolutely thrilled to be receiving the message from The Perks of Being a Wallflower performer.
After the message, Caitriona shared: ‘So I have this thing called autism, I don’t think of it as superpower.
Caitriona was shocked and delighted by Emma’s message (Picture: RTE / Youtube)
‘I think of it as an ability. It’s actually classified as a disability but I think it’s more of an ability.
‘I get emotional, I cry a lot at school but it’s also really cool because I get really happy and I love being Autistic.
Emma shot to fame as a kid in Harry Potter (Picture: WARNER BROS)
‘I just want to say a message for kids out there, if you are neurodivergent and just feel different, I just want to say that you are so so special and you are amazing.’
Heartstopper star Bradley Riches, who has autism, recently spoke to Metro.co.uk about portraying the condition on screen.
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‘Acting is an escapism for me. I feel free and understood when playing characters when, most of the time, I felt misunderstood as Bradley. I am so happy that I can show autistic people that they aren’t alone and that they aren’t invisible – they are beautiful and magical,’ Bradley said.
His character James isn’t autistic – or at least, it hasn’t been publicly revealed yet – but as Bradley says, there’s certainly scope for it to happen.
The Late Late Show airs Fridays at 9.35pm on RTE One.
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What a heartwarming moment.
