Dunkirk director Christopher Nolan reveals Harry Styles beat out 'thousands' to score role
He states that the former One Direction star-turned-singer 'has it'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Filmmaker Christopher Nolan has shed some light on his decision to cast high-profile singer Harry Styles in his new film Dunkirk.
The former One Direction star is set to make his acting debut in the WWII 'suspense thriller' opposite critically-acclaimed actors Cillian Murphy, Kenneth Branagh and Mark Rylance.
Speaking to the LA Times, Nolan revealed that Styles beat out 'thousands' to the role.
“When we put the cast together, we had some established names. But for the guys on the beach, we really wanted young unknowns. He’s not that unknown, but he’d never done anything as an actor before. So he auditioned. I auditioned literally thousands of young men with different combinations of young men. And he had it.”
Nolan made it clear he wanted to shun the 'celebrity' angle of Styles' casting when asked if the 22-year-old was hesitant about cutting his hair for the role, stating simply: “I don't want to get into it.”
Dunkirk tells the story of Operation Dynamo, a daring plan to rescue 300,000 Allied troops who were surrounded by Nazis soldiers in Dunkirk during World War II.
It'll be released in cinemas on 22 July.
Styles released his debut solo single “Sign of the Times” just last week - you can read our review of the track here.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments