By Sophie Annett
The musician Harry Styles’s performance in the recent film Don’t Worry Darling (2022) has raised interesting conversations about public figures transitioning between different entertainment industries. Don’t Worry Darling is a psychological thriller that follows the developments of the couple Alice and Jack, who exist in an almost utopian 1950s environment in a seemingly sunny California Valley. The society consists of men who go out to work and women who stay at home, cooking, cleaning, and fulfilling the typical tasks of a quintessential upper-middle-class white housewife. However, as the film develops, Alice begins to discover unsettling truths about their reality, which prompts further developments in Jack’s complex and mysterious persona.
Once the film reached theaters, Styles’s performance as Jack was met with backlash from fans and critics alike. People said that Styles did not deserve this acting opportunity, and the role appeared to be merely handed to him because of his celebrity status and adoration. As a Harry Styles fan myself, I can appreciate him venturing over into the acting world; however, based on his performance in Don’t Worry Darling, I think he was better off dipping one toe into the water instead of diving in headfirst. This is especially evident since Styles’s portrayal was frequently overshadowed by his accomplished co-stars, his dominant musical career, and his limited acting experience, which ultimately undermined the impact of the character, Jack.
According to many critics and audience members, Styles’s performance paled in comparison to those of his more seasoned co-stars, Florence Pugh and Chris Pine, whose main focus has always been acting. Pugh received much praise and approval for her performance. As Hannah-Rose Yee, an Australian Vogue writer and editor, writes, “Pugh is the real event…She is funny, she is bright, she is bold, and then, when the story starts collapsing around her, Pugh takes it in her hands and runs away with it…Pugh is a powerful and tactile performer; you can really feel her presence when she’s on screen.” Pugh’s powerful performance, in fact, led Jennifer Ong, a freelance author, to wonder if Pugh’s exceptional acting skills contributed to Styles appearing “out of his league.” Styles’s character, Jack, is deeper than just a loving husband who’s passionate about his career; as the film progresses, a more manipulative and dark side unravels. However, when the film takes this more ominous turn, Styles fails to keep up with the sudden tone shifts from scene to scene, leading to Styles falling through the cracks compared to Pugh. This failure in comparison to his fellow co-stars was also evident when Styles was compared to Chris Pine, who played the antagonist, Frank. Pine delivered a refreshing and chilling performance, which only further overshadowed Styles’s acting. Ultimately, because Styles didn’t give a groundbreaking performance, the role came across as handed to him and not earned.
Critics argue that Styles’s portrayal of Jack was outshined not only by his co-stars but also by his own reputation. His musical career, with three solo albums, five albums with his previous band 1D, and a total of forty awards, sets high expectations for all of his life conquests, even when not prompted. Fans also have preconceived ideas about Styles, which leads to bigger expectations when it comes to all of his career adventures. Styles is known for putting on a show, especially when it comes to his live tour performances, where he sparkles in colorful outfits and prances across the stage. Now I don’t think fans or critics were expecting that from Styles’s performance in Don’t Worry Darling, but they at least wanted that level of energy and emotion in the role. Meg Watson, a cultural reporter, and Osman Faruqi, a cultural news editor, write, “I think Harry was way out of his depth. To me, his performance wasn’t laughably bad (and honestly, the accent was whatever) but he was clearly given a script that had all the best bits sucked out of it so he could cope, and it all came off as a bit wooden.” From a new album to seeking out a new venue, such as acting, he is expected to give his all. Styles’s fame is so vast and audience expectations are so high that he can’t harmlessly enter a new field of entertainment. He is unfairly met by negative reviews from haters even before they view the work at hand. Furthermore, his name alone brings in double the amount of media attention, causing even more judgment.
Unlike professional actors who must work their way up from smaller indie films to larger blockbusters, Styles’s first leading role was in a major Hollywood film, which resulted in him being viewed as undeserving and receiving hate. To be fair, Styles did technically act before: who could forget his Oscar-worthy 25-minute performance as a sickly pop star in the children’s show iCarly (2012)?! But that glimpse of his true thespian side was sadly underwhelming, as well. According to Michelle Ruiz, a contributing editor at Vogue, “Styles doesn’t seem particularly committed to a future as a thespian—annoying, surely, for actors who toil in Hollywood for years.” Ruiz brings up the larger issue of musicians turned actors landing these large roles over other, more acclaimed actors or potential stars because of the public attention that they bring to the film. Styles’s fame ensures he remains a sought-after figure in both music and film despite his underwhelming acting performance. This position of fame removes the pressure on Styles when it comes to performing as an actor because, either way, successful or not, he has another industry to fall back upon. While I don’t think singers should be turned away from acting in future movies and television shows, I do agree that they should have to work their way up in the industry. Being placed into a huge role with no previous experience leads inexperienced actors such as Styles to ultimately look unfit for the role.
Love or hate Harry Styles, his performance as Jack in Don’t Worry Darling showed the poor transition of a well-known singer testing the waters in acting. His acting was overshadowed by his more talented co-stars and his renowned singing career, and his lack of theatrical experience was on full display. And while the film delves into some complex and twisted ideas, such as toxic masculinity, manufactured reality, the theft of agency, and many others, with a beginner actor trying to display those themes, the film fell short. In the future, I would love to see Styles play a lighthearted boy-next-door type in a television series or indie film, but he just doesn’t yet have the proper skills and years needed to fully encapsulate a complex character like Jack. I hope that this analysis of Styles’s acting will open up a much larger discussion about celebrity casting, expectations in Hollywood, and the challenges of transitioning between entertainment industries.
Works Cited
Ong, Jennifer. “What Are Critics Saying about Harry Styles and Florence Pugh’s Performances in Don’t Worry, Darling?” The Things, 18 Sept. 2022, www.thethings.com/is-dont-worry-darling-any-good-critic-reviews/.
Ruiz, Michelle. “A Slightly Biased Review of Harry Styles’s Performance in ‘Don’t Worry Darling.’” Vogue, 23 Sept. 2022, www.vogue.com/article/harry-styles-performance-dont-worry-darling-review.
Watson, Meg, and Faruqi Osman. “Is Don’t Worry Darling Really as Bad as Everyone Says?” The Sydney Morning Herald,6 Oct. 2022, www.smh.com.au/culture/movies/is-don-t-worry-darling-really-as-bad-as-everyone-says-20221003-p5bmp1.html.
Wilde, Olivia, director. Don’t Worry Darling. Warner Bros. Entertainment, 2022.
Yee, Hannah Rose. “Here’s what ‘Don’t Worry Darling’ is actually like.” Vogue, Australia, 6 Sept. 2022,
Sophie Annett is an English and Women’s, Gender, and Sexualities Studies student at SUNY Cortland who is also pursuing a Master’s in English. Sophie has greatly enjoyed being a co-founder of Emblaze and has recently become a managing editor this fall. She has a love for all things outside, travel, reading, and expressing herself through writing.