Christopher Nolan was aware he’d face skepticism when he cast Harry Styles as part of his new film, since he was an A-list boy band member. However, in a new interview with Entertainment Tonight, he revealed he cast Harry because he was extremely talented; he also added that when he cast Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight, he received those same hesitations.
“When I cast Heath Ledger as the Joker, it raised a lot of eyebrows and caused a lot of comment,” he told ET while on set. “I have to trust my instincts, and Harry was perfect for this part. As a director, I have to trust my instincts, my ability to figure out who’s the right guy for the part. I’m not too worried about baggage.”
He also revealed he only had heard Harry’s name, but didn’t know anything about him. “I was new to Harry. I mean, I’ve heard his name from my kids, but I wasn’t really familiar with him. What I was seeing [when he auditioned] was a very charismatic guy who clearly had a truthfulness and a subtlety in his ability to perform as a film actor,” he said. “What I’m hoping for, when people see the film, is I’m hopeful that they won’t miss what he’s done, because it’s very subtle, very truthful and real. I wasn’t giving him a sort of flashy thing to do. But it’s really important what he does in terms of what it says, I think, about human nature and what people do in different situations, and I think he pulled it off with incredible grace and reality. And that as a director, that’s what you’re looking for.”
Dunkirk hits theaters July 21 — will you see it?