Harry Styles, Emma Corrin and David Dawson at TIFF for 'My Policeman'. Image Source: Bloomberg
Harry Styles gets candid about an upcoming role.
Harry Styles who has been under the spotlight since appearing on the red carpet at Venice International Film Festival 2022 for ‘Don’t Worry Darling’, once again stepped on the red carpet for Toronto International Film Festival 2022 on Sunday for the world premiere of his upcoming movie, Michael Grandage’s ‘My Policeman’.
My Policeman is a period romance drama set in the 1950s that touches on the taboo subject of homosexuality in Britain. The movie is based on the 2012 novel by Bethan Roberts of the same name.
Harry Styles spoke about his character, "Tom Burgess," who is a closeted gay policeman, during the press conference for the movie before it premiered to the audience. Harry said that what made him say yes to Tom is the fact that he is curious and someone who was born into a very small world, and when someone is born into that kind of environment, they feel like they know where the edge of the world is.
Slowly, Harry Styles explained the audience that his character Tom came to the realization that it is a bit farther away than Brighton. People spend their whole lives in these kinds of little bubbles, and if someone is born and raised in one of those bubbles where everyone around them and generations before them have also lived, it may be very difficult for them to even imagine life outside.
The actor said that so when his character Tom meets someone like Patrick, who is played by David Dawson, who is well-traveled and likes art, Tom finds himself curious about those things and it’s feeding his curiosity, which is sort of strange for him to be curious about something. Harry said that, but Tom, with Marion, his wife, played by Emma Corrin, eventually finds a friend who is the most accepting of him, and that is why perhaps regardless of how one views their relationship.
Their bond is genuine, loving, and compassionate, the singer-actor remarked. When asked what his biggest takeaway from the film was, Harry Styles responded that it was how it had managed to touch on the idea of people not making the most of their lives. He continued by saying that for him, the story is devastating because it is all about wasted time, which is something that no one can control and that cannot be taken back, and that it is the thing that he believes matters most.
Harry also added during the press conference that he loved that he could see a part of themselves in each of the characters and stated that he thinks the most beautiful thing about the story is that all of the characters have some nice qualities, and they also have some flaws that we might hope not to have, but, as humans, we all have them. Harry added that he thinks that at different points in the story, audience would be able to see bits of oneself and sometimes maybe not their favorite parts of oneself in different characters and maybe that’s why it kind of resonated with him so much.
The director, Michael Grandage, had previously shared in an interview that Harry Styles’ casting was never intended, but when the script started making rounds, Harry Styles’ team approached them and expressed their interest and thus a meeting was set. The director shared that Harry, who had read the book and the script, very eloquently spoke about what he could bring to the table, and Michael added that he told him that he had done one movie, was working on another, and he was sure that he would be interested in something like My Policeman to be his next project to work on.
Michael Grandage had a reasonable notion of Harry Styles' star power, but it wasn't until word of his casting spread that he truly realized its scope. Sales of the book reportedly skyrocketed as soon as word of it spread. It was hysterical he explained adding that this poor, wonderful author who had simply been going about her business overnight became a best-selling novelist which made him reflect back on the idea about how much strength and power Harry Styles hold.
Harry Styles, thrilled by the recognition, thanked everyone in attendance for the Tribute Awards, saying they all loved working on this film so much and they all hope that the audience could see their work and embrace it. The whole cast of the movie was recognized with Tribute Awards on Sunday.
On September 11, My Policeman made its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. It will be released in cinemas on October 21 and Prime Video on November 4.
