LANDED THE MOVIE OF THE YEAR

The inside story of the most talked-about acting debut ever

When it was announced in the spring of 2016 that Harry Styles from 1D was going to make his acting debut in a juicy role in a big new film, pompous movie snobs were appalled. Especially because this wasn’t just any old movie, it was up there with the most highly anticipated big-screen projects in recent years. Harry was to star in Dunkirk, the latest epic from Christopher Nolan (Inception, The Dark Knight), one of the best directors in the world.

Everyone immediately wondered how this boyband member with no previous acting experience got cast in such a high-profile, movie. The fact that the film was about one of the most famous incidents in WW2, only added to the surprise. This was going to be as far removed from the frothy joy of a 1D video as you could possibly imagine.

So, how exactly did Harry, 23, get the role, and what can we expect from him in this blockbuster of a movie, now that it’s about to arrive in cinemas next week?

WHEN HARRY MET NOLAN

The story of Harry being in Dunkirk is really one of perfect timing and two big ambitions coming together. On the one hand, this was a case of writer/director Chris Nolan announcing in 2015 that his new project needed a core cast of young British chaps, the fresher the better, to play soldiers evacuated from Dunkirk beach in France in 1940. At the same time, Harry was pondering a future away from the pressures of being in a boyband. His two main ambitions were to create mature-sounding solo music, and to pursue an acting career, having shown his charismatic chops in many a music video. So, Harry put himself forward for Dunkirk, which had every up-and-coming actor’s agent frothing at the mouth with excitement.

SIX AUDITIONS

Ironically, the main hurdle Harry faced in going for one of the four main youthful roles in

Dunkirk was his fame. Nolan wanted mostly unknowns to play the soldiers. As casting director John Papsidera explains, “Our aim

was to have people who were fresh and didn’t bring a lot of prior work with them, so the audience will be really immersed in the film and not struggling with recognisable famous personalities.” But Harry was determined. He read lines for Papsidera, impressing him so much that he arranged for Harry to audition in front of Nolan and his team. “He did half a dozen readings, coming back and forth, and it was no easy task for him,” says Papsidera. “This is a young man who passionately wanted this film.” In the end, Nolan couldn’t find anyone who impressed him as much as Harry, revealing, “I’d looked at a lot of people for the part and I’d not found the right person for it, so when you see the right person, it would be hard to take other considerations into account.” Styles himself describes his character Alex as “an everyday young soldier”. Reports from the film’s fellow stars, including such legends as Kenneth Branagh and Mark Rylance, say that Harry totally delivers in his role. Now, in just ten days’ time, we’ll all get to see just how good an actor he is.

Dunkirk opens in cinemas on 21 July