Harry Styles won role in new Christopher Nolan film Dunkirk over 'very famous actors'
The One Direction singer will appear in the filmmaker's WWII drama
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Your support makes all the difference.Harry Styles will soon make his transition from One Direction singer to one of the several young actors starring in new Christopher Nolan film, Dunkirk.
The initial casting announcement may have surprised many but addressing such concern is casting director Jon Papsidera - who has overseen casting on six of Nolan's previous films including the Dark Knight trilogy. He detailed to The Mirror how Styles went through the same audition process as every other actor and won the role fair and square.
"Harry was absolutely right for the role. As an actor he is unknown, but his readings made him an obvious choice. We thought he was fresh and interesting and he won the role. It wasn’t because he’s a well-known pop star - if anything that was more of a detriment, because it could bring the wrong message and we don’t want people pulled out of the film because of who they are.
"Our aim was to have people who are fresh and don’t bring a lot of prior work with them, so the audience will be really immersed in the film and not struggling with recognizable famous personalities. So Harry really had to overcome hurdles to get past that. He fought hard for it and his work was impressive and that’s what attracted us to him.
"I don’t think he studied acting professionally and yet he won the role against some very well known actors. He read for me, then us collectively in London. He did half a dozen readings, coming back and forth and it was no easy task for him.
Styles will appear in the WWII drama alongside fellow British actor Fionn Whitehead while Tom Hardy, Kenneth Branagh and Mark Rylance are all confirmed to star. Peaky Blinders actor Cillian Murphy will also appear.
Filming is currently taking place for the film that will centre on Operation Dynamo, a British military operation that saw 330,000 Allied soldiers rescued from detainment in a harbour.
Dunkirk will be released 2017.
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