The chat show host made an appearance in the American pop star’s latest music video for her new single ‘Opalite’, saying it was a ‘really, really fun experience’
Taylor Swift, Graham Norton, and Domhnall Gleeson in the Opalite music video(Image: Taylor Swift)
Graham Norton is full of praise for Taylor Swift after she invited him and his chat show guests to star alongside her in a new music video.
The video for Taylor’s new single, Opalite, off her record-breaking album, The Life of a Showgirl, was released last Friday and featured Domhnall Gleeson, Graham Norton, Lewis Capaldi, Greta Lee, and Jodie Turner-Smith, all of whom were on the chat show together. Cillian Murphy even made time in his busy schedule for a brief voice-over cameo.
The music video, written and directed by Taylor, ends on a sweet montage featuring footage from the Graham Norton show as the credits roll.
Graham explained on his podcast Wanging On that the Grammy-award-winning singer-songwriter came up with the idea while on his show. “The whole thing came to her in a blinding flash while she was on the sofa… and the next thing you know, she’s written this whole treatment. Taylor is a marvellous director – I didn’t think I had that [performance] in me.
“It was like a movie shoot, a massive, massive deal. Everyone was lovely on set, it was a really, really fun experience.”
The Irish TV presenter said the music video was mostly filmed in Croydon back in November, and he was so ‘in awe’ of himself for keeping it a secret from everyone: “There was many extras in my scene, no one joined all the dots and realised it was everyone off The Graham Norton sofa.”
He went on to say he sadly didn’t meet her football-star fiancé, but Taylor’s mum, dad, and brother all turned up for the shoot – alongside the photographer who shot the couple’s engagement photos.
The 62-year-old also added that he kept a bottle of ‘Nope-alite’, a fictional spray which is advertised in the video, but it was accidentally binned by a new cleaner who mistook it for an empty bottle of a real cleaning product: “I knicked my bottle of Nope-alite. I have it at home. We had a new cleaner, and when I got home, I found the empty bottle of Nope-alite in the bin!”
Taylor Swift shared a heartfelt post about the music video, saying, “I remember thinking I got ridiculously lucky with the group I was paired with. Cillian Murphy, Domhnall Gleeson, Greta Lee, Jodie Turner-Smith, and Lewis Capaldi.
“All people whose work I’ve admired from afar. When we were all talking during the broadcast, Domhnall made a light hearted joke about wanting to be in one of my music videos. He’s Irish! He was joking! Except that in that moment during the interview, I was instantly struck with an *idea*”, the singer continued.
“And so a week later he received an email script I’d written for the Opalite video, where he was playing the starring role. I had this thought that it would be wild if all of our fellow guests on the Graham Norton show that night, including Graham himself, could be a part of it too. Like a school group project but for adults and it isn’t mandatory. To my delight, everyone from the show made the effort to time travel back to the 90’s with us and help with this video.”
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