In this photo provided by CBS, actress Emma Watson, who stars in the final Harry Potter movie, and Late Show host Dave Letterman, react during a taping of the show in New York, on Monday July 11, 2011.
Actress Emma Watson was in the hot seat last night ahead of Harry Potter's New York premiere as David Letterman interrogated the 21-year-old about her drinking habits.
Segueing badly from Daniel Radcliffe's recent admission to British GQ that he's been off the sauce since August, Mr. Letterman intoned to the elfin Emma, who has starred as brainy Hermione since age nine, "Do you drink at all? Do you use controlled substances?"
And then, "Have you ever had whisky or distilled spirits? Ever tried that?"
Not content with that, the host continued: "Either you did and you liked it or you did and you didn't like it."
Flustered, the fresh-faced actress (who now studies English at Oxford and pointed out she's been legal there since age 18) sputtered, "I'm dying here. Can we move on?" before admitting she got "very, very drunk" once.
"Everybody does, right?"
Like a nosy neighbour satisfied, Mr. Letterman moved on with a clip.
Although not federally mandated, Canadian research around low-risk drinking suggests women can get away with nine drinks a week, although the Canadian Medical Association Journal yesterday recommended improved guidelines in the quest to prevent cancer.
Short of pulling out the stats, what's the best way to respond to personal questions about casual drinking habits?
Zosia Bielski