Harry Styles never had the time to explore his acting ambitions while he was a part of One Direction.

The band went on hiatus at the end of last year (15) and fans were surprised when it was announced Harry had been cast in Christopher Nolan's World War II drama Dunkirk, but Harry admits acting was always something he wanted to venture into but his commitment to One Direction stopped him from pursing roles.

"I did acting at school. It's something I've always wanted to explore but I was busy with the band so I never felt like I had time to do it the right way," he told Chelsea Handler for Another Man magazine, in his first solo interview.

Harry admitted he felt "nervous" and uncomfortable making his acting debut, but he thought the filming process, which has since wrapped, was going well.

"When we (One Direction) took some time off, I thought I'd see if it might work. It's a challenge, but it feels good to be out of my comfort zone," he explained. "I'm enjoying being in the studio and doing the movie and I'm not bothered about going on vacation. I feel pretty lucky right now."

Harry, who is also working on a solo album, has been praised by his co-stars Cillian Murphy and Mark Rylance, who both noted how charismatic and fun he was.

During the interview, Harry also revealed he had no idea if or when One Direction would reunite but said he would never rule out a return because it is the "greatest thing" that ever happened to him.

"It's a difficult question to answer. I would never say we'll never do anything again but it's good for us to be exploring different things," he said. "Maybe at some point everyone will want to do something again but it is better if it happens naturally."

Dunkirk, which also stars Tom Hardy and Kenneth Branagh, is due to hit cinemas in July, 2017.