On July 21st, officially, Harry Styles and Fionn Whitehead will make their breakout film debuts in Christopher Nolan’s ‘Dunkirk’. The film which focuses on the ‘Miracle of Dunkirk’ tells a story of soldiers trying desperately to get home during a battle where that notion seems hopeless. It follows them through the ups and downs, the fast moving glimpses of promise and the dark hours that bring nothing but emptiness.
To make your debut in a Nolan film is an honor, to make your debut in a film about such a heart wrenching TRUE story is an even bigger honor, and it’s one that neither Styles nor Whitehead has taken for granted.
In fact, they’re both extremely humbled by the experience and what it means to be part of a film with an impact as big as Dunkirk. You can tell that they’ve given a lot of themselves to the roles that they play and after months of filming and studying, preparing and now promo – they’re enjoying the anticipation of fans and finding out what people have been curious to find out for so long.
One aspect of the interviews have been people interested in Harry for his hair cut, or his ‘fame’ (which is a word he hates), or the ‘screaming fans’ that are synonymous with his name by now, but his role in Dunkirk is so much more than that.
Harry’s ‘target audience’ in One Direction, as well as the rest of the band, was the young girls that seemed to never age past 14 no matter how many years went by. That has come up a couple of times in Dunkirk season and it’s been addressed by the other stars of the film as well as Nolan himself.
Nolan has defended his decision for choosing Harry by saying, more than once, that his name had nothing to do with being cast in the film. In fact, if anything, it would have hindered him if he’d relied on it. However, fans of Harry know that he’d never do that, he auditioned the same way everyone else did and dedicated himself to a role that was so much bigger than himself.
Nolan also told fans that there was a valid reason that Harry didn’t play a huge role in the trailers – it’s an ensemble – he said.
Fionn Whitehead even spoke of his co-star and he said nothing negative but did bring up that the film is bigger than any of them as individuals. For young actors coming into the business in a film like this, they’ve both got a good head on their shoulders.
‘He (Harry) hasn’t asked for any of this. In terms of the media, they have put too much emphasis on this one guy instead of the piece as a whole and the ensemble as a whole.’
In interviews where they were asked about the film, the pair both said that they were humbled by their characters, the size of the film and the people on the beaches, and the way so much of this film is real and authentic. They both know the absolute importance of telling this story.
Even in interviews where the questions were a bit silly, they laughed and did their best. Their hard work will speak for itself, and for many of us, it already has.
We’re sending big congratulations to Fionn and Harry for their big breakout roles, as well as the rest of the cast and Christopher Nolan. Dunkirk is so powerful, so real, and we can’t wait to see not only the film but what’s next for the extremely talented cast.