Overview
- Eastwood told Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast that his representatives told him it was a bad idea to appear in Taylor Swift’s music video and advised him not to take the role.
- He said Swift personally phoned him with the offer and that he had no prior warning before she called.
- Eastwood said he accepted because the project was conceived as a cinematic, Out of Africa–style short film directed by Joseph Kahn, and he found the creative concept compelling.
- The actor said he has no regrets about working with Swift and described her as amazing and a friend.
- Observers note the episode highlights how few artists now make large, filmlike music videos and that fan theories about the song’s subject, including Alexander Skarsgård, remain unconfirmed.