Emma Watson talks about receiving threats for her political activism

LONDON, March 8 (UPI) -- British actress Emma Watson says some people were surprised by the backlash she suffered when she started speaking out against gender inequality.

People magazine said the 24-year-old former Harry Potter co-star recounted her experiences Sunday in a Facebook Q&A to promote the HeForShe equality campaign.

"There was a website set up that was threatening to release naked images of me, with like a countdown and whatever else," Watson explained, adding: "I knew it was a hoax. I knew the pictures didn't exist."

"A lot of people close to me knew gender equality was an issue, but didn't think it was that urgent. You know: 'We live in Great Britain. This is a thing of the past. We're fine. We're good. We have got far enough,'" she said. "When they saw that the minute I stepped up and talked about women's rights, I was immediately threatened. I mean, within less than 12 hours, I was receiving threats. I think they were really shocked and one of my brothers in particular was very upset."