Little Women’s Emma Watson Sees a Little ‘Jo March’ in Taylor Swift

Published on December 30, 2019

Could Taylor Swift be a modern-day Jo March? Little Women star Emma Watson urged artists to value ownership by likening the Swift’s experiences to the film narrative.

Watson, who serves as one of the stars of Greta Gerwig’s film adaptation of the beloved novel, spoke to Variety during the Little Women New York premiere, taking a moment to speak about a key moment in the film that proves very relevant today.

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In the film, which opened in theaters everywhere on Christmas Day, feisty protagonist “Jo,” played by Saoirse Ronan, tries to get the copyrights to the novel that she penned. “It’s about believing in yourself and knowing your worth and owning your worth,” Watson said, likening the situation to Taylor Swift’s recent battle with Scooter Braun over the ownership of her master recordings. 

According to Swift, Big Machine Label Group denied her the rights to perform some of her early music at a performance for the American Music Awards, as well as for her Netflix documentary, Miss Americana, to be released in 2020.

The label has since denied the allegations, as Braun finally broke his six-month silence back in November, addressing all of Swift’s accusations.

Swift explained that Big Machine said that they would agree to her using of her early songs if she agreed not to ever re-record them.

Right now, the Taylor Swift situation is a great example of, you know, you’re young and you’re talented and someone wants to buy your work,” Watson told Variety, “but having ownership at the end of the day is super, super important because you don’t know what someone’s going to decide to do with that.”

Watson’s recognition of Swift’s copyright scenario serves as a big step toward young performers stepping up sooner and more vocally when it comes to their art. If a talented songwriter as powerful as Taylor Swift can run into such issues, it is important for those that follow in her footsteps to take every precaution available to them.

I think people undervalue ownership. You know when you play Monopoly and you have a decision and you want to own something or get cash fast. The way to win Monopoly, everyone, is to own stuff. I’m just saying,” Watson added.

Although she plays Meg, the eldest March sister who takes care of the family when their mother is away the Harry Potter star admitted to identifying the most with Jo, of all the characters in the film.

This revelation is not super surprising, considering Watson’s outspoken nature and involvement with the United Nations as a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador. She launched the HeForShe campaign in 2014, inviting men to participate in the ongoing conversation about gender equality.

In addition to Watson and Ronan, Little Women stars Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen, Laura Dern, Timothee Chalamet and Meryl Streep.

Alexi Melvin is the Senior Entertainment Writer at Grit Daily. Based in San Francisco, she covers entertainment, events, and their intersection of tech. She is a voice actress, known for her work in the Star Wars franchise films. She is also fluent in both English and Sarcasm.

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