Ed Sheeran made his big-screen acting debut in the 2019 film Yesterday – but he’s admitted the role almost never came to be.

The chart-topping singer played himself in Richard Curtis and Danny Boyle’s musical comedy, which centred around a character who woke up unexpectedly in a world where The Beatles’ music never existed.

However, speaking to BBC Radio 1’s Kids Ask Difficult Questions, Ed disclosed that the part wasn’t actually written for him.

In fact, both Harry Styles and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin had turned it down before Ed was approached.

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He recalled: “They asked Chris Martin, he said no, they asked Harry Styles, he said no, and I was third choice.”

Film director Danny Boyle previously dismissed the suggestion that Harry was approached for the role, but conceded that the part was originally created with Chris in mind.

“Although Harry Styles was very good in the Chris Nolan film [Dunkirk],” Danny told ABC Radio. “So maybe we would had gone to Harry Styles, if Ed Sheeran had said no.”