IN TUNE WITH BATTLE
Ex-1D singer tests acting chops
SANTA MONICA, CALIF. Former One Direction pop star Harry Styles is making his debut in more ways than one. Styles’s first solo album on his own label has topped the charts, and he displays his rookie acting chops in Christopher Nolan’s war epic Dunkirk, which opens Friday.
The 23-year-old plays a desperate soldier joining nearly 400,000 British, Canadian and French troops attempting to evacuate from the beach at Dunkirk, France, in May 1940. Nolan’s movie, shot in 65mm and Imax film, is an intense Second World War account of the events on land, sea and in the air defining the “Dunkirk spirit.”
Styles and Nolan recently spoke about the film:
On auditioning for the Dunkirk role:
“I heard that Chris (Nolan) was making this film and I was just excited to watch it,” Styles says. “I would have been interested in this even if I had no involvement. And I would have watched it multiple times because with each viewing, you always find something new in a Christopher Nolan film.”
On breaking down the complex screenplay:
“I found so many things that excited me,” he says. “Once I got my head around the technical parts, I enjoyed reading the script more and more.”
On hiring the pop star based on merit:
“My job as director is to see potential in people when casting,” Nolan says. “You can’t worry too much about previous roles or Harry’s celebrity. I think the audience when they come to the film — if you’ve done your job right — will be invested in the world you’ve created and the story you’re trying to tell.”
On whether Styles worried about being a distraction:
“I can’t say I really thought too much about it. Everyone on Chris’s set is passionate, and it’s so infectious. Everyone has one focus and that’s to do the best for him and for the film.”
On the many layers of Nolan’s cinematic narrative:
“I think the thing with Chris’s movie is the same across a lot of his other movies,” says Styles. “You learn new things when you watch it many times.”
On getting down and dirty shooting at the actual Dunkirk beach:
“I was in the sand, in the water and in the middle of big explosions,” Styles says. “It was a physical role, but it’s impossible to complain on a set when your director goes through the same thing with you. Chris was on the sand, in the water and in the air. He was as cold as anyone else and not complaining.”
On observing and learning from the veteran cast and crew:
“Being on a set like this, it’s hard to not be always learning,” Styles says. “Being around people you’re a fan of feels like a privilege and you try to soak up as much of that as possible.”
On Nolan’s subtle way of guiding Styles’ performance:
“Chris has this way,” says the new actor. “He’s not really controlling you. … you never feel like you’re trying to hit too many notes. I felt very lucky to be on his set.”
On the impact of the Dunkirk evacuation:
“It’s often overlooked at how pivotal it was because of the events that came after it,” says Styles. “We feel lucky to be a part of something that tells an important story in a lot more detail.”