According to MSNBC.com, Harry Potter actress Emma Watson will be the new face of Chanel fragrance Coco Mademoiselle, taking over from previous helmer Keira Knightley when Knightley’s contract comes to an end this summer. The appointment is being seen as a typically classy move for Watson, with an anonymous source in the article firmly stating, “She’s not going to end up like these other Hollywood train wrecks, she just isn’t.”

Rather bizarrely though, the source quoted by MSNBC for the story not only congratulates Emma, but seemingly takes the opportunity to have a sideswipe at her Potter co-star Daniel Radcliffe, who will soon be appearing on Broadway in Equus where he has a nude scene: “No-one is judging Radcliffe. Let’s just say Emma has always made good decisions, and always will.” The assumption seems to be that the Chanel role will involve being demure and fully dressed; an assumption that the last ad campaign featuring Knightley doesn’t fully bear out:

As AfterEllen.com blogger Reese DoWitt pointed out in a recent post on celebrities and scents, Chanel has made a feature of pairing actresses with the directors of their most successful projects. Knightley’s television spot for Coco Mademoiselle was directed by her Atonement and Pride and Prejudice collaborator Joe Wright:

While I’m generally a fan of anything involving Keira Knightley and a bowler hat, there’s something about that commercial that just doesn’t quite hit the spot for me. Maybe it’s the fact that a close-up shot of Keira spreading Coco Mademoiselle up her worryingly emaciated arm doesn’t so much make me want to buy perfume as it makes me want to feed her a sandwich; or maybe it’s the fact that the “climax” of the ad feels so anti-climactic (she goes in to kiss her boyfriend, and then she … puts a bit of perfume on his neck! Surprise!)

Anyway, as both a perfume fan and a Watson fan, I’ll be interested to see what angle the new Coco Mademoiselle ads will take. Which, if any, of the Harry Potter directors will they choose to direct Watson’s spot? And will they (hopefully) be able to avoid the urge to make corny jokes about her “casting spells” on people with her fragrance?