One of the theories surrounding Harry Styles' presence in Dunkirk is that he's simply there because, well, he's Harry Styles.
After all, he's a member of one of the most recognisable musical groups of the past ten years, he's constantly in the newspapers and gossip columns and he has a private army of supporters online. Therefore, it's safe to say that he's relatively well-known.
To Christopher Nolan, however, this was all somewhat oblivious to him. In an interview with AP, Nolan claimed that he wasn't aware of just how famous he was. "I mean, my daughter had talked about him. My kids talked about him, but I wasn't really that aware of it. So the truth is, I cast Harry because he fit the part wonderfully and truly earned a seat at the table."
Dunkirk marks Styles' first credit as an actor, and by all accounts, it looks like he's got a career ahead of him if he decides to continue with it. Styles' only credits up to this point were a stint on SNL and an episode of iCarly. Going from a kids' TV show to hosting SNL and starring in one of the most hotly-anticipated films of the year is pretty good going.
Via AP