Domhnall Gleeson Says Taylor Swift’s “Opalite” Video Was Bucket-List Moment
Key Points
- Gleeson danced with Taylor Swift in the "Opalite" video, calling it a surprising career highlight.
- The concept started from Gleeson’s joke on The Graham Norton Show, which Swift turned into a visual idea.
- The video included fellow Graham Norton guests; Gleeson also attended the Oscars, where Retirement Plan earned a nomination.
DOMHNALL Gleeson had one of the more unexpected pop culture crossovers of the year, and he’s loving it.
While speaking on the 2026 Oscars red carpet, the actor opened up about appearing alongside Taylor Swift in her February music video for “Opalite,” calling the experience an exciting and unforgettable surprise.
Gleeson said that dancing with Swift in the video was never something he imagined for himself, joking that he had “no business” being in a Taylor Swift music video.
Still, he shared that the project quickly became a special career highlight, especially after realising it fulfilled a bucket-list item he didn’t even know he had, according to E Online.
The collaboration reportedly grew out of a playful moment on The Graham Norton Show in October, when Gleeson joked about wanting to appear in one of Swift’s videos.
Swift later revealed that the comment sparked an idea for the infomercial-inspired “Opalite” visual.
She brought together several fellow Graham Norton guests for the project, including Greta Lee, Lewis Capaldi, Jodie Turner-Smith and Graham Norton.
At the Oscars, Gleeson reflected warmly on the experience and praised the chance to be part of such a fun dance-heavy production.
His appearance in the video added another memorable moment to a busy awards season, where his film “Retirement Plan” was also in the spotlight with a nomination for Best Animated Short Film.
For pop fans, the “Opalite” video has become an especially charming example of Swift turning a casual talk show moment into a starry, playful collaboration.
