'You've only publicly been with women.' 10 things we learnt from Harry Styles' Rolling Stone cover.

Because I'm 40 years old, I missed out on the One Direction obsession, and therefore the subsequent Harry Styles obsession. 

Nevertheless, even an oldie like me can see just how much Styles has evolved over the years - he was only 16 when One Direction catapulted him to fame 12 years ago.

Now he's 28 and selling out solo shows all over the world. He's become an icon for the LGBTQI community, more so because of his gender-fluid dress sense rather than any stated fact about his sexuality. He's acting in roles that require meat and substance, not just "singing roles" that many musicians attempt in their first foray into acting.

Despite numerous interviews and legions of fans, Styles has admirably still managed to maintain a sense of privacy. Which is why we pored over his newest Rolling Stone magazine cover story to see what we could glean from our favourite One Directioner (Yeah, I went there. Mostly because I do not know who the other One Directioners are).

Watch Harry Styles singing his hit "As It Was" live from Coachella. Story continues below.

Styles has to do one particular thing after every performance.

After every show, the singer takes a shower. It's practical, because he would be covered in sweat, grime, and glitter.

But his post-performance ritual also comes with a spiritual element; he washes away the adoration from fans. "It’s really unnatural to stand in front of that many people and have that experience," he tells Rolling Stone. "Washing it off, you’re just a naked person, in your most vulnerable, human form. Just like a naked baby, basically."

During his One Direction days, he cried after playing at Wembley Stadium.

When One Direction played London's immense Wembley Stadium in 2014, Styles had tonsillitis on the day of the show.

"I was miserable," he said. "We played the first one, and I remember I came off, got in the car, and just started crying because I was so disappointed."

It was entirely different at his recent solo performances at Wembley. In attendance were family, including his mum and sister, friends, and his girlfriend, actor and director Olivia Wilde, and her two children. Niall Horan, who I am informed is a One Directioner, was also there.

He has regular therapy sessions.

Styles has started going to therapy regularly over the past few years. "I committed to doing it once a week. I felt like I exercise every day and take care of my body, so why wouldn't I do that with my mind?" he told Rolling Stone.

"So many of your emotions are so foreign before you start analysing them properly. I like to really lean into [an emotion] and look at it in the face. Not like, 'I don't want to feel like this', but more like, 'What is it that makes me feel this way?'"

Styles admitted he has learned to stop apologising for wanting privacy, especially around probing questions into his sex life and sexuality.

"When I'm working, I work really hard, and I think I'm really professional," he said. "Then when I’m not, I’m not. I'd like to think I'm open, and probably quite stubborn, too, and willing to be vulnerable. I can be selfish sometimes, but I'd like to think that I’m a caring person.

"I’ve never talked about my life away from work publicly and found that it's benefited me positively. There's always going to be a version of a narrative, and I think I just decided I wasn’t going to spend the time trying to correct it or redirect it in some way."

Styles' fanbase is not just young women (although it still is mainly young women).

As you'd expect, many of Styles' fans have followed him from his One Direction days. But as his solo work evolves, much like his persona, so too are his fans.

"As It Was is definitely the highest volume of men that I would get stopping me to say something about it," he said. "That feels like a weird comment because it’s not like men was the goal. It’s just something I noticed."

With his skincare line, clothing line, and fashion collection with Gucci as well as his burgeoning movie career, Styles is feeling the love from his fans.

"Everything in my life has felt like a bonus since X-Factor," he said of the show that created One Direction. "Get on TV and sing. I never expected and never thought that would happen."

He is understandably protective of his relationship with Olivia Wilde.

While discussing his gender-fluid fashion and accusations of "queer-baiting" Styles pointed out: "Sometimes people say, 'You’ve only publicly been with women,' and I don't think I've publicly been with anyone. If someone takes a picture of you with someone, it doesn’t mean you’re choosing to have a public relationship or something."

Styles and Wilde met on the set of the film Don't Worry Darling, which Wilde directed. Pictures of the couple holding hands at his manager's wedding in January last year all but confirmed the romance.

There has been some trolling of Wilde from Styles' more intense fans. "That obviously doesn’t make me feel good," Styles said. 

Wilde called most of Styles's fans "deeply loving people".

"What I don’t understand about the cruelty you’re referencing is that that kind of toxic negativity is the antithesis of Harry, and everything he puts out there," Wilde told the Rolling Stone writer. "I don’t personally believe the hateful energy defines his fan base at all. The majority of them are true champions of kindness."

Styles was nervous to star in Don't Worry Darling.

Starring alongside actors like Florence Pugh, Chris Pine, Gemma Chan, and Nick Kroll had Styles initially quite anxious.

"In music, there's such an immediate response to what you do. You finish a song and people clap. When you're filming and they say 'Cut', there's maybe part of you that expects everyone to start clapping, [but] they don't," Styles said. "Everyone, obviously, goes back to doing their jobs, and you're like, 'Oh, shit, was it that bad?'"

Listen to The Spill's episode on Florence Pugh and Olivia Wilde's secret "feud". Story continues below.

Wilde told Rolling Stone there was a scene that "left us all in tears".

"It’s a strange scene, full of fascist references, and a disturbing amount of male rage. The scene called for him to stand onstage with Frank [Chris Pine] and chant their creepy slogan, 'Whose world is it? Ours!' over and over again. Dark as hell. But Harry took it to another level. He was so fully in the moment, he began screaming the lines to the crowd, in this primal roar, that was way more intense than anything we expected from the scene," she said.

"The camera operator followed him as he paced around the stage like a kind of wild animal. We were all gob smacked at the monitor. I think even Harry was surprised by it. Those are the best moments for an actor - when you’re completely outside your body."

He memorised every line to audition for My Policeman.

After shooting Don't Worry Darling, Styles set his sights on My Policeman, which tells the 1950s story of a policeman who falls in love with a museum curator named Patrick.

Styles read the script, requested a meeting with the director Michael Grandage, and showed up with every line etched in his brain. He got the role.

"It's obviously pretty unfathomable now to think, 'Oh, you couldn’t be gay. That was illegal'," he said. "I think everyone, including myself, has your own journey with figuring out sexuality and getting more comfortable with it."

The human connection at the heart of the story was what appealed to him most.

"It’s not like, 'This is a gay story about these guys being gay.' It’s about love and about wasted time to me... So much of gay sex in film is two guys going at it, and it kind of removes the tenderness from it. There will be, I would imagine, some people who watch it who were very much alive during this time when it was illegal to be gay, and [Michael] wanted to show that it’s tender and loving and sensitive."

It might be awhile before you see Styles on screen again.

"I don’t imagine I’d do a movie for a while," he told Rolling Stone. And no, he is not doing any Star Wars films, despite the rumours.

However, he hasn't ruled out roles in the future. "I think there’ll be a time again when I’ll crave it," he said. 

Like the rest of us, he loves Love Island.

Styles informed Rolling Stone of his future plans after wrapping his European tour, which included holidaying with friends, seeing if The Bear is as good as everyone told him, and of course, catching up on Love Island, which he was "gutted" to miss.

Bless.

He's thinking about what it would be like to have kids one day.

Styles is clearly introspective. "The fantasy, or the vision, or the version of you that people can build you up to be feels like a person that isn’t flawed," he said.

"What I value the most from my friends is I feel like I'm constantly reminded that it’s OK to be flawed. I think I’m pretty messy and make mistakes sometimes. I think that’s the most loving thing: you can see someone’s imperfections, and it’s not [that you] love them in spite of that, but it’s [that you] love them with that."

He told Rolling Stone that he is thinking about what it would be like if he had children one day. "Well, if I have kids at some point, I will encourage them to be themselves and be vulnerable and share."

And there you have it. I don't know about you, but I've learned A LOT about Styles after that. So much so that I think... maybe... I'm a little obsessed?

Ah well. He IS the best One Directioner after all.

Feature image: Instagram.

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