Known as the overly intelligent, insidious Hogwarts student, Emma Watson, who plays Hermoine Granger in the Harry Potter series, has been struggling to shake her connection to the fictitious character.

In Sofia Coppola's new film The Bling Ring, Emma Watson plays a celebrity-obsessed house burglar. Based on true events, the film details the story of troubled teens who break into celebrity homes and steal items of value. Still, Watson insists she is not trying to distance herself from her famous Harry Potter image.

"I'm not trying to run away from it," Watson said at a Cannes Film Festival news conference on Thursday where The Bling Ring premiered. "I'm very proud of the work that I did. I'm just really enjoying having the chance to transform into new roles."

Even though Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 came out in 2011, Watson believes her days as Hermoine Granger are already boxed in the past.

"It's strange for me because Harry Potter seems like such a long time ago," said Watson. "So much has happened over the last three or four years. But obviously it's very present in people's minds and living rooms."

Watson prepared for the part by watching a heavy dose of reality television shows like Keeping Up With the Kardashians and The Hills, which helped her place her mind in the celebrity-obsessed culture of most Americans.

"I had to get the accent down, the dialect," said Watson. "That took a lot of time. Following last year's hit The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Watson sees herself transforming into more diverse roles. The young starlet said she has found even more opportunities for female actors in film, as seen in films like Bridesmaids and through Rebel Wilson's hosting of the MTV Awards as signs that gender equality is becoming more prevalent in Hollywood.

"I feel we're doing great," said Watson. "There's still a way to go. I'm not pretending there's perfect equality in the industry. But we're moving in a really great direction."