If there’s any person who’s firmly at the centre of the pop culture Venn diagram right now, it’s undoubtedly Harry Styles. Not only has the pop star firmly cemented his status as a global musical sensation, but his acting career is shaping up very nicely indeed with recent parts in Chloé Zhao’s Eternals and Olivia Wilde’s forthcoming erotic thriller Don’t Worry Darling. 

But Styles’ transition to multi-hyphenate actor-musician isn’t slowing down any time soon. This year, Styles is set to make waves in Amazon Prime’s sweeping LGBTQ+ romantic drama My Policeman, as he takes on a starring role as a closeted man exploring his sexuality at a time when it was illegal to be gay.

Based on the 2012 novel by Bethan Roberts, My Policeman follows three young people – policeman Tom Burgess (Styles), schoolteacher Marion Burgess (Emma Corrin) and museum curator Patrick Hazelwood (David Dawson) – in 1950s Britain, whose lives become intertwined through a forbidden love affair. 

Flashing forward to the 1990s, Tom (Linus Roache), Marion (Gina McKee) and Patrick (Rupert Everett) are still reeling with longing and regret, but now they have one last chance to repair the damage of the past.

Directed by Michael Grandage from a script from Oscar-nominated Ron Nyswaner, who also penned Philadelphia and Freeheld, the film looks set to be a powerful story of love, sexuality and longing. And it certainly looks like a unique acting challenge for Styles too, who reportedly stunned Grandage when they first met to discuss the film.

“He had read the script so many times that he knew every single beat of it at that meeting,” he told Vanity Fair.

“I found that incredibly impressive. He knew other people’s lines; he knew all of his lines. He knew why he wanted to talk about it, why one scene worked this way and another worked.”

The director also explained why Styles, who had only taken on minor acting roles prior to his involvement in My Policeman, turned out to be a great fit in the lead role despite his limited experience.

“Because he hasn’t done much, he hasn’t developed the ability to work out tricks or even lie. He can only do it truthfully and as he knows it,” he continued, comparing him to Albert Finney or Tom Courtenay.

“They just bring themselves to the role, and it seems to be very uncomplicated in the way they achieve it and Harry had that.”

In the first teaser for My Policeman has just been released, we got a glimpse of the burgeoning feelings between Tom and Patrick as they stand side by side in a gallery.

“So how does it make you feel?” Patrick asks Tom, clearly not in reference to the painting they are both admiring.

“You can sense the waves,” Tom replies. “You know how strong they are. Like swimming in rough surf”.

We also get a glimpse of a passionate embrace between Tom and Patrick, while another scene shows Marion in the grip of despair. Safe to say, the tension and desire is well and truly simmering.

Now that the first full-length trailer for My Policeman has been released, we get a closer look at the love triangle between Tom, Marion and Patrick.

In the clip, we see Tom embarking upon a seemingly happy relationship with Marion through glimpses of their first dates and eventual wedding.

Their marriage is thrown into turmoil, though, when Patrick enters the couple’s life, and Tom discovers what true love actually feels like.

In several moments flashing forward to the 1990s, we also meet the older versions of Tom (Linus Roache), Marion (Gina McKee), and Patrick (Rupert Everett), who are still processing the impact of the all-consuming love affair years later.

My Policeman premieres in cinemas on 21 October before arriving on Amazon Prime Video on 2 November.

Images: Amazon Prime