In a sprawling new Rolling Stone interview, Harry Styles takes time to address several issues on the minds of his fans, which involve his personal life and how it impacts his art.
Styles discussed his new role in the upcoming film “My Policeman,” a romantic period piece set in the ’50s, when it was illegal to be in a same-sex relationship in the U.K. Although he has been in a high-profile relationship with actor and director Olivia Wilde since 2021, Styles spoke about starring in a gay drama.
“It’s obviously pretty unfathomable now to think, ‘Oh, you couldn’t be gay. That was illegal,’ ” he said. “I think everyone, including myself, has your own journey with figuring out sexuality and getting more comfortable with it. It’s not like ‘This is a gay story about these guys being gay.’ It’s about love and about wasted time to me.”
Styles also broke down the vision for the sex scenes.
“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.”
Despite taking on the role, Styles also disputed allegations of “queerbating,” or subtlety marketing himself as being LGBTQ without actually identifying as a member of that community.
“Sometimes people say, ‘You’ve only publicly been with women,’ and I don’t think I’ve publicly been with anyone,” he said. “If someone takes a picture of you with someone, it doesn’t mean you’re choosing to have a public relationship or something.”
Despite that stance, his relationship with Wilde has been well-documented in the press, as they’ve been photographed together countless times and spotted at events together ever since he acted in her upcoming film “Don’t Worry Darling.”
Both Styles and Wilde spoke about the difficulties that have come up when a vocal minority of his fans use social media to condemn Wilde and their relationship.
“It’s obviously a difficult feeling to feel like being close to me means you’re at the ransom of a corner of Twitter or something,” Styles said. “I just wanted to sing. I didn’t want to get into it if I was going to hurt people like that.”
“What I don’t understand about the cruelty you’re referencing is that that kind of toxic negativity is the antithesis of Harry, and everything he puts out there,” Wilde said. “I don’t personally believe the hateful energy defines his fan base at all. The majority of them are true champions of kindness.”
“Don’t Worry Darling” is set to hit theaters on Sept. 23, while “My Policeman” will open in limited release on Oct. 21. Styles is currently in the middle of his 15-show “Harry’s House” residency at Madison Square Garden.
