How a throwaway joke landed three Irish stars in Taylor Swift’s new music video

by · TheJournal.ie

IRISH ACTORS DOMHNALL Gleeson and Cillian Murphy, as well as television personality Graham Norton, all star in Taylor Swift’s newly released music video for her song Opalite.

How did that happen?

The three were offered appearances after what Swift has described as a “light-hearted joke” sparked the entire concept.

The video, released on Apple Music and Spotify on Friday, sees Swift and Gleeson play lonely characters who meet in a stylised, 1990s-inspired world, complete with mall photo shoots, aerobics routines and retro advertising.

Swift also directed the nearly six-minute video.

The origins of the project can be traced back to an episode of The Graham Norton Show last October, where Swift appeared alongside Gleeson, Murphy, Lewis Capaldi, Greta Lee and Jodie Turner-Smith.

Taylor Swift, Cillian Murphy, Greta Lee, Jodie Turner-Smith, Domhnall Gleeson and Lewis Capaldi with host Graham Norton in October. PAPA

 

During the chat, Swift praised Gleeson’s performance in the sitcom The Paper, prompting Murphy to joke that the show was “worth watching for Domhnall’s dancing alone”.

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Gleeson then added: “I’m hoping to get into a Taylor Swift music video”, a comment Swift later said she couldn’t shake.

Writing on social media, Swift said the idea for the video “crash landed” during that appearance, and that Gleeson received a script a week later, starring as her on-screen counterpart.

Domhnall Gleeson appearing alongside Taylor Swift in her new music video. Taylor Swift / XTaylor Swift / X / X

She decided to extend the invitation to the rest of the sofa too.

In the finished video, Norton plays a salesman, Murphy appears on Opalite advertisements and provides a voiceover, while Capaldi features as a photographer.

Lee and Turner-Smith also make appearances, alongside a number of Swift’s Eras Tour dancers.

The full music video will be uploaded to YouTube on Sunday.

Opalite is the second single from Swift’s album The Life Of A Showgirl, released in October.

Swift has said the song was inspired by her fiancé, NFL player Travis Kelce, whose birthstone is opal.

Swift last performed in Ireland in June 2024, when she played three sold-out shows at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium.

With reporting from press Association

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