It's been revealed that Harry Styles was the first choice for the romantic interest in Last Christmas. The former One Direction star was offered the role of the male lead in the 2019 festive flick which takes its name from the classic Wham! song, according to director Paul Feig.
MORE: Is new Christmas movie Love Hard starring Nina Dobrev worth the watch?
However, he turned down the chance to star alongside the likes of Game of Thrones' Emilia Clarke and Emma Thompson as he thought he was "too young for the role." Instead, Crazy Rich Asians star Henry Golding was cast as the male lead in the movie, which went on to gross more than $123million worldwide.
WATCH: Did you enjoy Last Christmas?
The director, who is also behind comedy Bridesmaids and the Ghostbusters reboot, revealed all in a recent interview. He told The Sun: "I love Harry. We wanted him to play the part that Henry Golding played but he turned it down because he felt he was too young for the role," adding that he has tried to get Harry "in a few movies."
MORE: Don't Worry Darling: everything you need to know about the Harry Styles and Olivia Wilde film
MORE: The best Christmas adverts of 2021: from John Lewis to Marks & Spencer and more
He then joked that Harry may now be too sought after to feature in one of his films, saying: "Harry is a big-shot now. Maybe we will get him when he is on the way down."
Can you imagine Harry in the film?
Since dipping his toe into acting back in 2017 with Dunkirk, Harry has landed a number of exciting projects. Earlier this year, he joined forces with The Crown's Emma Corrin for romantic drama, My Policeman. Before that, he shot psychological thriller Don't Worry Darling which was directed by his girlfriend, Olivia Wilde.
MORE: Downton Abbey and The Crown stars join star-studded cast of exciting children's film reboot
More recently, his super-secret cameo in the Marvel film Eternals was confirmed. The 27-year-old makes a brief appearance in the film's post-credits scene, where he is introduced as a character called Eros, brother of Marvel villain Thanos.
Fans reacted with delight when his role was confirmed by early viewers last month. Taking to Twitter, one wrote: "EVERYBODY SHUT UP #HarryStyles IS ACTUALLY IN THE ETERNALS!" while another said: "I'm so proud of Harry!"
Like this story? Sign up to our newsletter to get other stories like this delivered straight to your inbox