Taylor Swift just turned back the clock to the ’90s for her latest visual.
The Pop superstar dropped the music video for ‘Opalite’ today, a lightly comic clip starring Irish actor Domhnall Gleeson. The video will stream exclusively on Apple Music and Spotify for 48 hours before hitting YouTube, a strategic move seen as a response to the platform’s audience data no longer counting toward Billboard charts.
In the visual, a lonely ’90s-era Swift and Gleeson endure humdrum lives while cohabitating with a pet rock and tiny cactus, respectively. Everything changes when they find companionship through the magic of a mysterious spray bottle labeled Opalite. The end credits hilariously note that the rock and cactus “married in a small intimate ceremony” after meeting through the same magic.
Swift revealed on Instagram that the concept came together after she appeared on ‘The Graham Norton Show’ alongside Gleeson, Cillian Murphy, Greta Lee, Jodie Comer, and Lewis Capaldi. During the broadcast, Gleeson joked about wanting to be in one of her videos, sparking immediate inspiration. She wrote:
“When we were all talking during the broadcast, Domhnall made a lighthearted 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*. And so a week later he received an email script I’d written for the ‘Opalite’ video, where he was playing the starring role.”
She then got the wild idea to recruit everyone from that night’s episode, including Graham Norton himself, to join the project. “Like a school group project but for adults and it isn’t mandatory,” she joked. To her delight, everyone agreed to “time travel back to the ’90s” and participate.
Wrapping up her post, the 35-year-old added:
“I had more fun than I ever imagined—made new friends, metaphors and fashion choices. It was an absolute thrill to create this story and these characters. Shot on film.”
‘Opalite’ peaked at #2 upon its October 3 release from Swift’s album ‘The Life of a Showgirl.’ She’s also offering a limited-edition seven-inch on blue pearlescent vinyl on her website until 7 PM ET tonight or while supplies last.