Pop star-turned-actor Harry Styles and The Crown’s Emma Corrin, head up the cast of Prime Video’s My Policeman, an epic tale of love, longing, betrayal and reconciliation.
They play young 1950s couple Tom and Marion, who meet on Brighton beach and form a loving friendship that leads to marriage. However, when working-class copper Tom falls for their close friend, debonair museum curator, Patrick (Ripper Street star David Dawson) the result is an affair spanning decades.
As Tom and Patrick’s secrets and lies come to the fore, teacher Marion makes a rash and regrettable decision that causes devastation for all involved.
Based on the novel by Bethan Jones, who was inspired by writer EM Forster’s secret 40-year affair with a married policeman, this feature-length film also stars Linus Roach, Gina McKee and Rupert Everett. They play older versions of Tom, Marion and Patrick in the 1990s when homosexuality is no longer a crime, yet all three live with the consequences of their actions.
Here My Policeman stars Harry and Emma explain more…
What drew you to the roles of Tom and Marion?
Harry: "It was the complexity of Tom that made me want to have a go at [playing] him. I don’t think Tom thinks of himself as gay. To Tom, there’s real love between him and Marion, just as there’s real love between him and Patrick. They’re just different kinds."
Emma: "Yes, you can look at it as a love story but it’s equally an epic tale of friendship. The bonds between Marion, Tom, and Patrick are as fascinating as the romance."
How would you describe the couple’s early relationship?
Harry: "The friendship Tom has with Marion is deep. He feels he can mostly be himself with her and that in itself is a new thing in his life, something he values greatly."
Emma: "And Marion loves to nurture, so I think she enjoys how he looks up to her. Tom is this incredible enigma, and that’s very attractive. But he’s still figuring out his place in the world."
What is it that attracts Tom to Patrick?
Harry: "Patrick is this portal to a whole different world of art, travel, wine and knowledge. He’s not just a person Tom likes, he represents a place in life that Tom aspires to get to. Tom grew up in an environment where people were content to stay in one place, to do what’s expected, but he’s always been curious, always wanted to learn and see more of the world, even if he lacks the resources."
How do they cope with this, in a time when homosexuality is not only taboo, but also illegal?
Harry: "It’s crazy to think about the fact that just the act of two men walking into an apartment together could be a crime. For Tom, it means that the euphoria of being with Patrick is followed immediately by shame.
"Just as Tom starts to find some freedom with Patrick, he becomes even more trapped because it’s this incredible thing that he has to lie about. His life as policeman is also one of old-fashioned masculinity, which adds to the shame of wanting to explore who he is."
How does Tom’s affair with Patrick impact Marion?
Emma: "Marion is unprepared for a marriage that is far more complicated than what she was led to expect. Tom challenges her assumptions, as well as her prejudices, about what people might want. She feels incredible pressure."
Harry: "My Policeman is a story about the complexity of love, about how deep and lasting it is, that also challenges the idea there can be only one straight-forward view of love. Each of the characters experiences different kinds of love, and different consequences for not being honest."
Without giving too much away, can you tease how explosive the situation becomes?
Emma: "There’s a spur-of-the-moment decision out of anger. I’m sure Marion never intends for it to go where it does. She just wants Tom to give all of himself to her. Marion loves Patrick as a friend, and they share so much in common. She feels disappointed and hurt…"
Harry: "Tom deceives her not out of maliciousness but from an emotional immaturity and not knowing how to speak honestly. If Tom, Marion, and Patrick had been able to take that leap to be completely honest in 1957, they might have had a chance at more happiness."
You were friends before being cast as Tom and Marion. How have you found working together?
Emma: "Tom is meant to be very intriguing to others, and Harry has that same twinkle of mystery to him where you just want to get to know him, as Marion and Patrick do. He’s nailed Tom’s inner world so that you can feel what’s happening inside him."
Harry: "Emma has some of the hardest moments in the film, but they were so open to feeling everything that they made it real. They’ve brought an affectionate, kind quality to Marion that shows why Tom always loved Marion."
My Policeman will be available worldwide on Prime Video from Friday, November 4, 2022. The movie will also be shown prior to its wide release in British cinemas on Friday, October 21.
