September 14, 2022
EDGE Rewind: Watch: Out 'My Policeman' Co-star Says Sex Scenes with Harry Styles 'Incredibly Easy,' 'Comfortable'
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 2 MIN.
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Harry Styles' out "My Policeman" co-star David Dawson revealed that going into the film's sex scenes, he and Styles "promised each other" mutual support, Entertainment Weekly reported.
The film, set in the 1950s, follows a closeted London police officer – Styles – as he marries a woman (openly non-binary actor Emma Corrin) but pursues a love affair with the man he actually desires (Dawson).
Dawson spoke to EW while at the Toronto International Film Festival, where "My Policeman" had its world premiere. The actor discussed what went into the movie's sex scenes, in which he, Styles, openly gay director Michael Grandage, and an intimacy coordinator "explored what we wanted those scenes to be, together." When it came to the film's intimate moments, Dawson said, he and his pop singer co-star had an understanding.
"Me and Harry promised each other we would always look out for each other during it," Dawson related in comments he made at the studio EW shared with People Magazine at the festival.
To get to that point, though, Dawson had to find his way past Styles' super-stardom as a recording artist.
"Very quickly you have to get rid of the musician you knew him as before," Dawson said of the process. But Styles himself was an asset here, Dawson added: "He's incredibly down to earth. He's a good Northern lad like myself. And we had the luxury of a three-week rehearsal process to build on that friendship and chemistry."
Dawson said the intimacy coordinator's involvement was a liberating experience, People Magazine noted.
"You might think that it would make people feel restrained in what they do, but you actually gain a freedom, I think," Dawson reflected, "because everybody feels very comfortable and respected in what they're making."
"My Policeman" premieres in theaters on Oct. 21, before streaming on Prime Video beginning Nov. 4.
To watch Dawson's comments, follow this link.
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
