'My Policeman' star David Dawson says he and Harry Styles promised they'd 'constantly check in with each other' while filming intimate scenes
- "My Policeman" star David Dawson spoke to Insider about working with Harry Styles in the movie.
- Dawson said that he and Styles "promised each other" they'd constantly check in while filming.
"My Policeman" actor David Dawson said that he found a "kindred" spirit in costar Harry Styles, and they promised to look out for each other while filming the queer romance film.
The film, directed by Michael Grandage and based on a book of the same name penned by Bethan Roberts, centers on the dynamics of three characters in Brighton, UK, in the 1950s: Tom Burgess (played by Harry Styles), the titular policeman grappling with his repressed sexuality; Marion Taylor (Emma Corrin), a school teacher; and Patrick Hazlewood (Dawson), a museum curator.
Styles' character struggles with his complicated feelings for Patrick and their forbidden romance in a time when homosexuality wasn't tolerated, while simultaneously navigating his relationship with Marion, who he marries.
The movie alternates between the 1950s and the 1990s, showing how the trio is still grappling with the events that occurred between them decades prior.
Dawson told Insider that because the movie was filming during the pandemic, he met Styles and Corrin for the first time over Zoom. Their first in-person encounter as a trio was in a sound booth, recording a song that their characters merrily sing during a happier time in the film.
"That was kind of like our icebreaker, but it was a good way of getting rid of any kind of butterflies about meeting new people," he said.
During a three-week rehearsal period for the movie, Dawson said that the three actors would pair off separately to discuss their scenes, and the other person "would not be party to those conversations, which I thought was incredibly effective when you moved through to filming this story."
"That's something I really relished in the making of this," he added. "Michael then created a wonderful room full of trust in which the three of us could bond and create a chemistry over that time."
Many of Dawson's scenes in "My Policeman" are intimate ones between Patrick and Tom, as Styles' character explores his sexuality. Dawson said that working with intimacy coordinator Ben Wright, who's very collaborative, on the film was "one of the most special parts of this process."
"We all sat together and discussed what we wanted these scenes to be as a team," Dawson said. "And then on top of that, me and Harry went away and promised each other that we would constantly check in with each other throughout this process."
"The trust was there, there was communication there at all points, so you always felt comfortable," he continued. "It was quite unique in that respect."
Although Styles is a Grammy-winning musician who rose to fame as part of the British-Irish group One Direction, he's relatively new to the acting industry. At the time of filming "My Policeman," Styles' only movie credit was Christopher Nolan's 2017 war film "Dunkirk."
Dawson said he has "no idea" if Styles learned anything from working with a more seasoned actor, but he bonded with the "As It Was" singer.
"The one thing I love about him, because I know it's something that I always want to do, is a constant hunger to learn," he said. "And so, it's certainly something that I felt like a kindred spirit. He certainly cared a lot about the work we were creating as much as I did, which I greatly appreciated."
Dawson said that he had never participated on a red carpet prior to the film's world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in September, and he's going to remember the experience for years to come.
"To walk out onto that carpet and to see that so many people had come to support Harry and to support the film, I found that very moving," he said.
Although much progress has been made in LGBTQ rights since the 1950s, Dawson thinks "it's important to constantly learn from things that have happened in our past in order for us to fully be able to move forward and continue to progress."
Moreover, Dawson said that being part of "My Policeman" gave him a larger awareness and gratitude for the strides made over the years.
"It really gave me a greater appreciation of what's been fought for and what's been achieved over the years for my generation in Britain, to have the freedoms and the rights that we have," he said. "The privilege of that, it makes me incredibly grateful."
"My Policeman" is now playing in theaters and will be available to stream globally on Prime Video starting on November 4.