'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' Hermione Noma Dumezweni Praised by Emma Watson

The Harry Potter and the Cursed Child play, the near 20-years-later sequel to the story of the boy wizard created by J.K. Rowling, is currently on previews in London's West End, and some of the stars from the original films are already watching it. Emma Watson, who rose to fame playing Hermione Granger in the films, recently saw the play -- and she has nothing but praise for Noma Dumezweni!

Last Thursday, Watson took to her Facebook page to share to the world that she'd gone over to see Cursed Child, even going backstage to meet the cast. Saying some things in the play had been "even more beautiful than the films," the Beauty and the Beast actress placed all her confidence in the new Hermione.

"Having seen it I felt more connected to Hermione and the stories than I have since [Harry Potter and the] Deathly Hallows came out, which was such a gift," Watson wrote on an emotional post. "Meeting Noma and seeing her on stage was like meeting my older self and have her tell me everything was going to be alright, which as you can imagine was immensely comforting (and emotional)! The cast and crew welcomed me like I was family and Noma was everything I could ever hope she would be. She's wonderful."

Watson also posted a few snaps from her Cursed Child attendance, alongside the entire cast and some just her and Dumezweni, as Hermiones met for the first time!

Dumezweni's casting raised a few eyebrows when it was first announced, as since the books came out, it had been understood that the character was white. While author Rowling took to Twitter to say she'd never specified an ethnicity for Hermione (the description simply read "brown eyes, frizzy hair and very clever"), some fans weren't all that impressed with the change.

From day one, though, Watson, who these days is focusing on her work in feminism for the United Nations, defended Dumezweni's casting, saying she couldn't wait to see what the actress would bring to the role.

Dumezweni's no stranger to the stage, and before she was cast as Harry Potter's know-it-all best friend, she had already made a name for herself in London: she won the prestigious Olivier Award in 2006 for her role in A Raisin in the Sun. Some other works on stage include Shakespearean work, such as roles in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Antony and Cleopatra and Much Ado About Nothing.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child will officially open on July 30, and the script book will be released one day later.