Where You've Seen The Cast Of My Policeman Before
2022 marked Harry Styles' return to acting, and his roles are not solely limited to the somewhat controversial film, "Don't Worry Darling." In fact, the musician also stars in "My Policeman." The romantic drama film comes from renowned British theatre director Michael Grandage, and the flick is based on Bethan Roberts' 2012 novel of the same name. The story focuses on the life of police officer Tom Burgess, who has a secret love affair with a man while married to a female schoolteacher.
Due to the social stigma and legislation associated with homosexuality in 1950s Britain, Burgess struggles to cope with the idea of his relationship with a man being made public. While reviews for the film have been somewhat mixed, audiences have reacted positively to the LGBTQ+ love triangle story. A lot of that response might be due to the performances of the cast, which is made up of pop stars and experienced veteran actors.
Watching "My Policeman" will no doubt trigger some head-scratching as to where you have seen the various actors before. Here, we will run through all of the members of the cast and what they have previously worked on that you might recognize.
Harry Styles as Tom Burgess
Harry Styles portrays Tom Burgess, the police officer at the story's center, although he is only responsible for the younger version of the character. A singer from a young age, Styles auditioned for the reality television talent show, "The X Factor" in 2010 in the UK. The judges put together a boy band, now known as One Direction, which consisted of Styles, Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik. According to All Music, the group finished third but became hugely popular, selling millions of records and embarking on several world tours. In 2016, the group went on an indefinite hiatus with the various members pursuing solo careers.
Since leaving One Direction, Styles has continued as a musician, releasing his self-titled debut album in 2017. In the same year, he made his acting debut in the war film "Dunkirk," a Christopher Nolan project that tells the story of the Dunkirk evacuation during World War II. Styles played a young soldier in the movie, winning several award nominations for his performance and attracting praise from critics that few expected he would receive when his casting was first announced (via USA Today).
Although he has primarily concentrated on his musical career, since the release of "Dunkirk," Styles has appeared in other film projects. He had a brief cameo role in the mid-credits scene for the Marvel movie, "Eternals" in 2021. Earlier this year, he appeared in Olivia Wilde's thriller, "Don't Worry Darling," alongside Florence Pugh and Chris Pine.
Linus Roache as older Tom Burgess
British actor Linus Roache plays an older version of Tom Burgess in "My Policeman," where he's seen at select points during the film. As a youngster, Roache studied acting at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama before landing his first role in the long-running soap opera, "Coronation Street." He played the character Peter Barlow, son of Ken Barlow, which was played by his real-life father, William Roache. This recurring role was followed up by guest appearances in several films and television series, as well as taking part in a number of Royal Shakespeare Company productions (via Theatricalia).
By the 1990s, Roache had become a regular presence on the screen. He was part of the main cast of the 1994 film "Priest," which was directed by Antonia Bird. Over the course of the next decade or so, he had roles in other films like "The Gathering Storm," "Pandaemonium," "The Wings of the Dove," and "Batman Begins." As a television actor, he is probably best known for his roles in both "Law & Order" and "Vikings," where he portrayed Michael Cutter and King Ecbert, respectively. More recently, he played David Wellington in the Showtime series, "Homeland."
Emma Corrin as Marion Taylor
In "My Policeman," Emma Corrin takes on the role of Marion Taylor, the schoolteacher that Tom Burgess marries. As a young actor, Corrin studied drama at St. John's College at the University of Cambridge before graduating in 2018. Corrin made their debut in the 2017 film "Cesare," and appeared in the short film, "Alex's Dream," the following year. In 2019, Corrin had a role in "Grantchester," before landing a breakout part in the DC Comics adaptation "Pennyworth," playing nightclub dancer Esme Winikus, which was a recurring member of the cast.
They have not just limited their career to television and film, though, with the actor also making appearances in two West End productions. Corrin played Anna in "Anna X" in 2021, while they later portrayed the titular character in the play "Orlando" at the Garrick Theatre in 2022 (via What's On Stage). Corrin also took part in the Audible audio drama "The Sandman: Act II," starring alongside James McAvoy and Andy Serkis, with the actor taking on the role of Thessaly (via Variety). Many viewers will recognize Corrin from Netflix's "The Crown," where they portrayed Diana, Princess of Wales across eight episodes of Season 4, receiving several awards and nominations for her performance.
Gina McKee as older Marion Taylor
Like Tom Burgess and Patrick Hazlewood, Marion Taylor appears in "My Policeman" as an older and younger version of themselves. While Emma Corrin plays the character in her early years, Gina McKee is the person who took on the role of the older incarnation of Marion. The veteran, British actor first began acting while in school when she attended a drama youth group with some of her friends (via The Guardian). This experience eventually led to McKee being cast in a local television series known as "Quest of Eagles." Having trained with the National Youth Theatre, she appeared in a number of television shows in the 1980s, including "The Lenny Henry Show."
In 1996, she rose to prominence for portraying Mary in the British drama "Our Friends in the North," winning several awards and widespread praise for her performance. In the next few years, she had a recurring role in Chris Morris' satirical comedy series, "Brass Eye," and she appeared in films including "Notting Hill" and "The Life of Stuff." More recently, she was part of the main cast of "Bodyguard," alongside Richard Madden and Sophia Rundle. She also starred in the "Catherine the Great" mini TV series as Countess Praskovya Bruce.
David Dawson as Patrick Hazlewood
David Dawson plays the younger version of museum curator Patrick Hazlewood in "My Policeman," a man that Tom Burgess falls in love with, prompting a secret gay affair. Knowing that he wanted a career on stage, he wrote his first play at the age of 17. The next year, Dawson put on a production of his own play, "The Boy in the Bed," thanks to financial help from Julie Walters and Barbara Windsor (via Square Mile). Upon graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he took part in a number of theatrical productions, including "Richard II" and "Romeo and Juliet." He has continued to work as a stage actor, appearing in "Fairview" and "The Dazzle" in recent years.
On screen, he had minor roles in shows such as "Doc Martin," "The Thick of It," and "Secret Diary of a Call Girl" in the early 2000s. He became more well-known thanks to appearances in "The Road to Coronation Street" and the second season of "Luther," where he played opposite Idris Elba. In 2012, he had a regular role as newspaper editor Fred Best in the mystery drama series "Ripper Street," continuing to appear in the show until 2016. Dawson has also had parts in films such as "The Secret Agent" and "Year of the Rabbit," as well as playing the role of Alfred in "The Last Kingdom."
Rupert Everett as old Patrick Hazlewood
Rupert Everett is the man behind the older version of Patrick Hazlewood. Everett first came to the public's eye in 1981 when he was cast in the West End play, "Another Country" with Daniel Day-Lewis, Kenneth Branagh, and Colin Firth. Three years later, he reprised the role for the film adaptation and, shortly afterward, had parts in "A Shocking Accident" and "The Right Hand Man," among other works.
Everett later appeared in "The Comfort of Strangers" and "Cemetery Man" before starring in "My Best Friend's Wedding" with Julia Roberts. Soon after that, he played the villainous Dr. Claw in "Inspector Gadget" opposite Matthew Broderick and had a major part in "An Ideal Husband." As a voice character, he has portrayed Prince Charming in "Shrek 2" and its sequel, Mr. Fox in "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe," and Sota in "Justin and the Knights of Valour." His latest roles are in the Italian television series, "The Name of the Rose," and "Funny Woman."
Kadiff Kirwan as Nigel
Kadiff Kirwan portrays Nigel in "My Policeman," in what is only his third-ever movie appearance. Kirwan chose to go into acting as a teenager, though he didn't want his friends to know about it at first. When he was cast in a school production, he tried to keep it a secret from everyone. So imagine his surprise when, on opening night, the back row was filled with applause and support from his basketball friends who had come to see him in the show (via BBC).
Much of Kirwan's work has been restricted to British television roles, with his debut performance coming in the period drama "Call the Midwife" in 2015. He went on to have recurring roles in "Crims" and "Chewing Gum" in the same year, and he made guest appearances in "Black Mirror" and "Drunk History." The actor is perhaps best known for his role in the Daniel Lawrence Taylor series "Timewasters," where he starred alongside Adelayo Adedayo and Samson Kayo. In 2020, he was part of the cast of the BBC and Netflix mystery thriller series, "The Stranger," and he portrayed the character Anthony in "Fleabag." Before his role in "My Policeman," he had minor parts in the historical drama film "Mary Queen of Scots" and the live-action "Pokemon Detective Pikachu."
Dora Davis as Sylvie
London-born actor Dora Davis plays Sylvie in the 2022 movie. Originally trained as an actor at the Manchester School of Theatre, she took part in a number of productions while studying at the university. The parts included playing Queen Catherine in "Nell Gwynn," Hermia in "A Midsummer Night's Dream," and Gertrude in "Hamlet." Her first on-screen role came in 2019, where she had a supporting role as a member of the Hitler Youth in Taika Waititi's highly acclaimed satire, "Jojo Rabbit."
As a newcomer to the industry, Davis only has a small number of credits to her name. She appeared in Camille Griffin's apocalyptic Christmas film "Silent Night" in 2021, which also starred Keira Knightley and "Jojo Rabbit" child actor Roman Griffin Davis. In the same year, she had a minor role as Grand Duchess Maria in the "Kingsman" prequel, "The King's Man." 2022 also saw the actor portray Carol in the British drama film "Save the Cinema."
Joseph Potter as Roy
Joseph Potter plays a character known as Roy in "My Policeman." Like some of the other actors in the film, he is something of an inexperienced actor with only a few roles under his belt. Speaking in an interview with Voice Magazine, Potter explained how he graduated from Guildhall School of Music & Drama and has taken part in a number of theatrical productions during his short career, including his appearance in Philip Ridley's play, "The Poltergeist."
"My Policeman" is Potter's first film role, and he has only made two previous appearances on television. The first of these appearances was in 2013. He played a character called Wenclas in the "Gymnast" episode of "All at Sea," which was a British sitcom aimed at children. In 2016, he had a very small part in an episode of "Casualty," which was a long-running medical drama series from BBC Studios.
Richard Dempsey as the librarian
The librarian character in "My Policeman" is played by actor Richard Dempsey. As a 9-year-old child, Dempsey discovered a love for acting when he played Charlie in his school's production of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." Speaking in a 2006 interview, the actor revealed that he was initially shy during an audition to appear in the BBC's television adaptation of "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." He landed the role of Peter Pevensie and appeared in all six episodes of the series before reprising the role in the sequel series, "Prince Caspian and the Voyage of the Dawn Treader," in 1989.
Dempsey's first film role came in 1994 when he had a part in "Royal Deceit," and he has since appeared in "Genius" and the 2019 war film "1917," which was directed by Sam Mendes. He has also appeared in a wide array of television series, including "Downton Abbey" and "Dracula." As a theatre performer, he was part of the original cast of "Fame" when it made its debut in the West End. According to the About the Artist website, he has since made appearances in many other theatre productions, including "Don Quixote" and "Tammy Faye."
Freya Mavor as Julia
Freya Mavor plays Julia in the 2022 movie, "My Policeman." Originally from Scotland, Mavor told a fansite in 2011 that she was drawn to acting after seeing "The Shining" as a child. In 2011, she made her debut in the British teen drama series "Skins," appearing in the regular role of Mini McGuinness between Seasons 5 and 6.
Most of her film roles have been exclusively British projects, including the likes of "Not Another Happy Ending," "Modern Life Is Rubbish," and "The Keeper." As a French speaker, she has also appeared in several French-language films, such as "The Lady in the Car with Glasses and a Gun" and "About Joan." On television, she played Princess Elizabeth of York in "The White Queen" in 2013, the year after her departure from "Skins." She has also had roles in "The ABC Murders" and "Twice Upon a Time," as well as being part of the main cast of the HBO series "Industry."
Maddie Rice as Jackie Stewart
Maddie Rice plays the role of Jackie Stewart in "My Policeman," a minor supporting character. Her acting career began in 2014 when she appeared in the short film "Civilised People," and she portrayed Deena Rashid in the made-for-television movie "The Last Hours of Laura K" the following year. Between 2015 and 2016, she played a number of characters in the series "Zazu" and had a guest appearance in the period medical drama "Call the Midwife." This was followed by various parts in the parody series, "Every Blank Ever," in 2018.
In terms of films, she held a role in "Genius" before "My Policeman," but she has mainly concentrated on television and theatre. Some of her more recent projects include the BBC show "The Other One" and the Peacock-exclusive series "Hitmen." She also played a character in the critically acclaimed "Fleabag," something that may have contributed to her landing the lead role in the touring stage show adaptation, taking over from Phoebe Waller-Bridge (via What's On Live).
Richard Cant as Rudy
Veteran British actor Richard Cant takes on the role of Rudy in "My Policeman." The Kent-born performer is the son of television presenter Brian Cant and made his first television appearance in 1994 when he was an uncredited member of the choir in the sitcom "The Vicar of Dibley." Over the next few years, he made other guest appearances in the likes of "Gimme Gimme Gimme" and "This Life," before he was cast in the role of Dolly Longestaffe in the 2001 adaptation of Anthony Trollope's novel, "The Way We Live Now."
The next year, he had a recurring role as a first lieutenant in "Shackleton." He then rose to prominence by portraying Mercury in the drama series "Bleak House." Cant has since appeared in "Doctor Who," "Midsomer Murders," and "The Bill." More recently, he has had roles in Netflix's hit historical drama, "The Crown," and he had a supporting role in "Mary Queen of Scots," which also starred Margot Robbie and Saoirse Ronan. As a voiceover artist, he has worked on a number of video games, including "007 Legends" and "Assassin's Creed III" and "Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag."
Lucy Briers as Miss Brown
In the Michael Grandage film, Lucy Briers plays Miss Brown. An experienced actor who made her first appearance on television in 1992 as a minor character in the sci-fi sitcom "Red Dwarf," Briers has been active in the industry for 30 years. Throughout that time, she has amassed more than 60 screen credits, along with an extensive resume in the theatre. According to West End Theatre, she has had roles in plays such as "All of Us," "Wild East," and "Rosmersholm."
Briers is arguably best known for her portrayal of Mary Bennet in the 1995 BBC adaptation of "Pride & Prejudice." She has also had numerous guest appearances in British series, ranging from "The Thick of It" to "Ashes to Ashes" and "Silent Witness." As a voice actor, she has acted as video game characters in "Mass Effect: Andromeda" and "Assassin's Creed Valhalla." She also had a role in "Zack Snyder's Justice League" and "Gentleman Jack." In the HBO "Game of Thrones" prequel "House of the Dragon," she played the part of Lady Ceira Lannister.