Director ‘not aware’ of singer’s stardom

DIRECTOR Christopher Nolan has insisted acting novice Harry Styles is “perfect” for his role in Dunkirk, saying there were also “raised eyebrows” when he cast Heath Ledger as the Joker.

The Oscar-nominated filmmaker also said he was not aware of the height of the One Direction singer’s fame before casting him in the Second World War drama.

Nolan, 46, said that choosing Ledger for the role of Batman’s foe in The Dark Knight provoked curiosity but the Australian went on to posthumously win a best actor Oscar for the part.

“When I cast Heath Ledger as the Joker, it raised a lot of eyebrows and caused a lot of comment,” Nolan told US broadcaster Entertainment Tonight.

“I have to trust my instincts, and Harry was perfect for this part.”

Styles, 23, plays a soldier in the film about the 1940 evacuation of Allied troops from the French shores. Tom Hardy and Cillian Murphy also star. THE first jab to protect against potentially deadly gonorrhoea could be on the horizon, based on a meningitis vaccine.

A study of almost 15,000 people given the treatment over a decade ago found they were about a third less likely to develop the sexually transmitted disease.

The breakthrough comes a few days after the World Health Organisation warned oral sex is causing the spread of a dangerous gonorrhoea