Styles plays a policeman who marries a teacher (played by Emma Corrin) despite being in a relationship with a museum curator (David Dawson) in My Policeman. It is set in the 1950s, when same-sex relationships were still illegal.
Speaking to Rolling Stone, Styles said he thinks it’s “unfathomable” that being gay was once a crime.
He said that My Policeman is “about love and about wasted time to me” and not just “a gay story about these guys being gay”.
Much has been made of the fact that Harry Styles performs gay sex scenes in the film. Styles said that the film will show queer sex as “tender and loving”.
“So much of gay sex in film is two guys going at it, and it kind of removes the tenderness from it,” he said.
“There will be, I would imagine, some people who watch it who were very much alive during this time when it was illegal to be gay, and [director Michael Grandage] wanted to show that it’s tender and loving and sensitive.”
The singer also explained how the film forced him to further his understanding of his own relationship with his sexuality.
“I think everyone, including myself, has your own journey with figuring out sexuality and getting more comfortable with it,” he said.
Harry Styles is also starring in upcoming psychological thriller Don’t Worry Darling alongside Florence Pugh.
Pugh recently spoke out against fans’ fixation on the film’s sex scenes, saying: “Obviously, with the nature of hiring the most famous pop star in the world, you’re going to have conversations like that.
“That’s just not what I’m going to be discussing because [this movie is] bigger and better than that. And the people who made it are bigger and better than that.”
Styles made his film debut in Chris Nolan’s Dunkirk, and in 2021 made his Marvel Cinematic Universe as Thanos’ brother, Eros.
He referred to his ongoing success in music and acting a continual surprise.
“Everything in my life has felt like a bonus since X Factor,” he told Rolling Stone.
“Get on TV and sing. I never expected and never thought that would happen.”
My Policeman will be released on 21 October, 2022.