Is The Idea of You Based on Harry Styles? Breaking Down the References

Fans of Prime Video’s The Idea of You have drawn many parallels to Harry Styles, but is the film really inspired by him?

The Idea of You, which is based on Robinne Lee's 2017 novel of the same name, stars Anne Hathaway as a mom named Solène who takes her daughter to Coachella Music Festival and ends up falling for international popstar Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine), resulting in a whirlwind romance. 

The book and its movie adaptation has received considerable attention from fans, who liken Galitzine’s character Hayes to Styles in his One Direction days.

Though Lee has denied that her book is directly based on Styles, the film certainly draws pointed parallels, from Hayes’ tattoos to the music team behind the fictional band August Moon. 

Here’s everything to know about the film’s references to Styles and what the cast has said. 

What are the similarities between Hayes and Harry Styles in The Idea of You?

When the trailer released on March 6, fans immediately noticed similarities between Hayes and Styles, with one particular scene depicting Hayes on stage with August Moon bearing a resemblance to Styles’ performances with One Direction back in 2013.

Additionally, Prime Video shared a poster of August Moon that featured Galitzine striking a pose similar to one associated with a memorable picture of Styles during his 1D era. 

The film features even more similarities between Hayes and Styles, including the fact that the character auditioned for the band when he was a teenager, similar to how Styles got his big break with One Direction by auditioning for The X Factor. Throughout the film, he grapples with becoming famous at such a young age, and longs to break out of his "boyband" persona, similar to how Styles shed his image with his solo career.

His character even has a similar familial background as he notes that his parents split when he was young, much like Styles' own mom and dad. Hayes even evokes Styles' personal style as he dons similar outfits to the musician, including lots of cardigans.

What has the author of The Idea of You said about Harry Styles references?

Lee has spoken about the possible Style source material before; though she denies the rumor that her book was based on Styles fanfiction, she has shared that the character of Hayes does draw from the former One Direction-er.

Speaking with Vogue in December 2020, she said she made Hayes into her “dream guy” including a mix of “Prince Harry-meets-Harry [Styles]” and a little bit of Eddie Redmayne. She added that the initial idea for the book came after watching countless YouTube videos of Styles and learning more about his personal life online. After discovering that Styles “often dated older women,” she said “the seed was planted” for her story. 

However, she maintains The Idea of You was “never supposed to be a book about Harry Styles ... it was supposed to be a story about a woman approaching 40 and reclaiming her sexuality and rediscovering herself, just at the point that society traditionally writes women off as desirable and viable and whole.”

What has The Idea of You star Nicholas Galitzine said about Harry Styles references? 

Meanwhile, Galitzine has confirmed that he was inspired by Styles when crafting his character Hayes. During an interview with Buzzfeed, the Purple Hearts actor said he and the film's creators “tried to create a character that felt akin to Harry” particularly “in a sense that he’s a younger man dating older women,” referring Styles’ former relationships.  

However, he noted that the inspiration didn't turn into imitation: “It was important to create someone who felt new and original and not a shoddy impersonation of this person,” he added. 

Speaking with PEOPLE, he further echoed that sentiment as he talked about the comparisons between Styles and Hayes.  "I like to distance myself from that comparison because I think Hayes is his own character and has his own struggles and wants and tastes, even in who he is as a musician," he explained.

"We took tons of different references," he added. "I think the boy band as a whole was an amalgam of a lot of different artists and groups. I'd love people to come to watch the movie with an open mind and embrace Hayes and August Moon, and maybe become fans of August Moon individually as well. I mean, there's some really, really catchy songs in the movie."

When it came to his boyband inspirations, he said looked at the Backstreet Boys from the time when they "first came out" and the "hysteria around them" as well as K-pop band BTS for the choreography.

Is anyone from Harry Styles’ team involved in The Idea of You?

Styles is not directly tied to the film, however, the movie did enlist some of his previous songwriters. Carl Folk and Savan Kotecha, who previously penned One Direction’s hit single “What Makes You Beautiful,” are listed as the producers and composers for “Dance Before We Walk,” which is sung by Hayes’ fictional band August Moon in the film.