Christopher Nolan talking about the casting of Harry Styles in Dunkirk seems to indicate that the director was very happy with the result. Styles was a very great talent to bring into the movie but without the need to be a great hero or villain. He was just human, and that was what Nolan really wanted. In truth, that’s what any director should want from their actors no matter how great they are or how much development they still need. The film Dunkirk was something that needed the kind of talent that could bring it into the public consciousness in a way that the true history of the moment failed to convey. Anyone can look at the history to see just what happened and how it differs from the movie, but the injection of pop culture into history is what gets people interested in actually looking.
Harry Styles is still a relative newcomer to the industry and was at one point a member of One Direction, a popular boy band that gained notoriety for a while. As an actor he’s not yet the caliber of some of the others on the cast but he performed in a way that impressed Nolan and in fact did manage to convey the very real horrors of war in the film. Some might argue that he was surrounded by enough support cast that he could have walked his way through it but the counter to that is the fact that while he did have a lot of supporting cast he still had to make certain that his role was believable and that he was able to follow what the director wanted while giving a performance that would enhance and make the film into something that people would respond to in a positive manner.
One thing people seem to forget about those actors that aren’t as well known and don’t have a load of credits to their name is that they are still professionals and are good enough at what they do to have a stellar day while on set. If a director of Christopher Nolan’s caliber saw something in him that was worthy of keeping him on then obviously Styles was having a good day. Throughout the film most people should be able to see that he’s not just walking his way through the movie, but is truly getting into the part and showing what it was like during those dark times on that faraway beach where so many soldiers perished.
Too often it seems that reputation makes the star, and lack of a reputation breaks them before their name ever becomes known. It takes a truly terrific effort for some people to ever get to the point where they are so well known that people will begin to give them the credit they deserve. Harry Styles has put forth a tremendous effort in Dunkirk and thankfully wasn’t overshadowed by the appearances of Killian Murphy and Tom Hardy, who are both in the prime of their career.
Hopefully as time goes by we’ll see more of him.
Follow Us
