Emma Watson’s new love interest is a Syrian refugee?

Harry Potter star Emma Watson, famously known for playing the role of Hermione Granger in the movie series, has sparked romance rumours as she was spotted enjoying a lunch date with a Syrian refugee filmmaker, Hassan Akkad.

Emma and Hassan were all smiles as they left their lunch date venue in Mayfair. Hassan Akkad is a Syrian refugee who arrived in the UK by dinghy in 2015 following an 87-day journey across Europe. He has also won a Bafta award for the BBC2 documentary series Exodus: Our Journey to Europe in 2017.

According to Daily Mail, one onlooker described the couple’s appearance saying, “They seemed very cosy.” Both of them were dressed casually, as the pictures obtained by the publication saw Hassan rocking a black sweatshirt paired with black shorts, and Emma was also wearing a sweatshirt with black trousers.

The Syrian filmmaker was spotted carrying the Harry Potter star’s water bottle while leaving the restaurant.

Despite their cosy outing, in conversation with Daily Mail, Hassan declared the 33-year-old actress to be out of his league.

The pair have enjoyed a close friendship since 2017. In his memoir, Hope Not Fear, Hassan detailed her friendship with Emma as he wrote, “We have a shared passion for photography and films. We would usually spend time at her house because she didn’t want to go out and get recognised.”

Emma Watson previously dated Leo Robinton, a Californian businessman, for two years. Her latest love interest was Sir Philip’s son, Brandon Green, whom she dated for 18 months before announcing their split earlier this year (2023).