When Harry Styles cut his hair last year year, we entered into a period of brief but intense mourning — until, that is, it became apparent that the former One Directioner’s new crop was part of his preparation for his first major film role in Christopher Nolan’s upcoming war epic Dunkirk.

Appearing as part of a talented cast that includes Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Mark Rylance and newcomer Fionn Whitehead, Dunkirk sees Harry take the role of Tommy, a young soldier caught up in the mass evacuation of British soldiers.

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Previous Dunkirk teasers granted us an admittedly brief glimpse at Harry’s acting skills: while he didn’t get any lines, he did display a talent for looking appropriately anguished in a range of testing situations, be it pensively sitting on the beach while the wind blows through his hair, or struggling underwater (please don’t let him drown…)

In the latest clip, however, we finally hear Mr. Styles uttering his first lines in character, nobly remarking that “Somebody’s got to get off this so the rest of us can live,” while sat in a sinking ship.

In another, he asks, “What’s wrong with your friend?”

Still considered a “miracle” of World War II, stranded British troops were evacuated from Dunkirk by boat and brought back across the Channel. Most recently, it was recreated during a climactic scene of Joe Wright’s adaptation of Atonement, starring James McAvoy.

If you’re skeptical about whether Styles can swap musical superstardom for a career on the big screen, it’s worth remembering just how many Hollywood talents started out as singers. Before putting his musicality to excellent use in La La Land, Ryan Gosling got his start as an all-singing, all-dancing Disney kid in the Mickey Mouse Club alongside Justin Timberlake who, in tandem with his musical career, has also taken small but significant parts in projects like The Social Network and Inside Llewyn Davis.

Roll on July 21st, when Dunkirk is finally released in cinemas.

This post was written by Katie Rosseinsky. It originally appeared on our sister site, Grazia Daily.

Watch the video below to see Harry’s best fashion choices.

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