Emma Watson cut her hair in a bid to win the lead role in 'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo'.

The 'Harry Potter' actress - who shot to fame playing studious Hermione Granger in the wizard franchise - recently chopped off her luscious locks in favour of a pixie-style crop as she thinks it will help land the part of computer hacker Lisbeth Salander in the big screen adaptation of Stieg Larsson's best-selling novel.

A source said: "Emma has auditioned with director David Fincher and cut her hair to look the part. The character of Lisbeth is a misfit with spikey hair."

The part of Lisbeth is one of the biggest female roles in Hollywood at the moment and whoever gets it will be contracted to three films and star alongside Daniel Craig, who will play journalist Mikael Blomkvist.

As well as 20-year-old Emma, other actresses vying for the coveted part include Ellen Page, Natalie Portman, Carey Mulligan and Kristen Stewart.

Throughout the films, Lisbeth is involved in some racy scenes with both men and women, including a graphic and violet bedroom scene.