No matter how enormously successful he may have been at the start, the future of a teen idol once heâs graduated from the warm embrace of boy bandhood is always precarious. Will his star continue to rise to Justin Timberlake (or, for the U.K. crowd, Robbie Williams) status? Or will he become nothing more than a distant, fond memoryâa time capsule of a generationâs youthful indiscretion?
Thatâs the question facing former One Directioner Harry Styles who, a little over a year after his group officially (probably) disbanded, has just made the best case yet for his enduring pop cultural relevance. In going above and beyond his musical guest duties on this weekâs S.N.L., Styles proved what his die-hard fans have been saying all along: heâs more than just a haircut.
This wasnât Stylesâs first S.N.L. rodeo; as musical guest, heâs always shown a penchant for hopping into sketches. Not all guest musicians like to try their hands at live sketch comedy, but Styles and the rest of the One Directioners charmingly cropped up on a 2012 âManuel Ortiz Showâ sketch and, briefly, in a 2013 sketch featuring Paul Rudd as their biggest fan. They also endearingly and self-mockingly cameoed in Ruddâs opening monologue.
But none of Stylesâs previous, light S.N.L. sketch work could have prepared his fans for his level of involvement in this weekâs episode. Perhaps taking a page from his successful S.N.L. collaborations with Justin Timberlake, host Jimmy Fallon had Styles join him in two sketches as well as the episodeâs monologue. That monologue appearance was the least challenging part of he played. All Styles had to do was dance and belt out a smidgeon of Bowieâright in his wheelhouse. He did it all while giggling a little at Fallonâs self-seriousness. Who wouldnât?
But Styles had a much bigger role to play in one of the earliest sketches of the night: an impressions showcase in the guise of a Celebrity Family Feud. By rights, Fallon should have owned this sketchâhe very impressively scampered back and forth across the set in order to pull off dueling John Travolta impressions. But Styles sort of stole the show out from under him by unveiling a fearless (if not always entirely accurate) Mick Jagger impression.
As any S.N.L. aficionado will tell you, complete commitment to a bit and a willingness to make a fool of yourself is key to good hosting. Timberlake was fine in a pair of early S.N.L. appearancesâbut it wasnât until he showed up in 2003, cool as a cucumber, in a giant omelette costume that he proved once and for all that he could hang with the best Studio 8H had to offer. Styles-as-Jagger also took a tiny dig at his own fledgling solo career, saying, in character, âSolo? Why would anyone in a successful band go solo? Thatâs insane.â Self-awareness? Also a vital quality for any S.N.L. host.
Stylesâs last acting appearance of the night came during a surprisingly effective, high-concept sketch which saw Fallon and a group of Union soldiers slowly turn a traditional Civil War ballad into an infectious pop song. Styles appears as a Rebel prisoner who adds a soulful bridge. The singerâs earnest crooning prompted half of the beard glued to his face to pop offânot a rare issue when it comes to live sketch comedy. Styles handled the malfunction with aplomb, first slapping the beard back on his face when the camera panned awayâand then, when it came loose again, just going with it.
But like Timberlake before him, Styles has not lost sight of the gift that made him a star. For all his sketch work in this weekâs S.N.L. the singer also performed a pair of songs that sent his longtime fans swooning: his chart-topping single, âSign of the Timesâ and a new track, titled âEver Since New Yorkâ
But a successful foray into the world of sketch comedy isnât the only way Styles is taking cues from Timberlake as he embarks upon his post-One Direction career. The singer recently landed a coveted role in Christopher Nolanâs upcoming prestige drama Dunkirk. Timberlake also followed the dissolution of N*Sync with a few serious film appearances, including Alpha Dog, Black Snake Moan, and, most successfully, The Social Network. Neither Styles nor Timberlake may ever win an acting Oscar, but all that stage presence has to go somewhereâand, depending on how well Dunkirk goes over, we may be at the very beginning of another boy band memberâs long perch at the top.
If an early positive review (from Oscar winner Mark Rylance, no less!) is any indication, Styles also knows exactly how to channel that surplus of charisma. Rylance said of his Dunkirk co-star: âHe seems remarkable ⊠one of those peopleâSean Penn has it, tooâa kind of panache. I look at them and think, âHow did you get that? How do you get so that life is easy?â But he has got a lovely, lovely character. Itâs a gift.â Dunkirk comes out in July. If itâs a palpable hit, we could see Styles make his S.N.L. hosting debut as early as this fall.  -  VANITY FAIR
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