I didn’t know [Taylor] knew who I was at all,” O’Brien told E! News in November 2021. “I’ve been a fan of hers for a long time, I love her even more now. She’s, like, the best person ever, she is so brilliant. So yeah, it was like an automatic yes. I think we were sort of just hanging out on the phone and she asked me a while into it, like, you know, how long I wanted to think or whatever and it’s OK if I wanted to say no, and I was like, ‘Oh, it’s not even a question.’”
Keep scrolling to see all the famous men who have left their marks in Swift’s music videos:
Credit: Taylor Swift/YouTube
Tyler Hilton (“Teardrops On My Guitar”)
Hilton’s role as Drew in Swift’s second music video marked one of his earliest acting gigs. He went on to appear in films and shows such as One Tree Hill, Extant, The Christmas Contract and When Christmas Was Young.
Credit: Taylor Swift/YouTube
Justin Gaston (“Love Story”)
The actor and model played the Romeo to Swift’s Juliet in the 2990 music video for “Love Story.” He later appeared as a football player in Glee and went on to appear on the soap operas Days of Our Lives and The Young and the Restless.
Credit: Taylor Swift/YouTube
Toby Hemingway (“Mine”)
The English actor followed up his performance as Swift’s “Mine” love interest with roles in Black Swan, The Finder, The Crossing and FBI: Most Wanted.
Credit: Taylor Swift/YouTube
Noah Mills (“We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”)
Mills portrayed the guy Swift vowed to “never, ever, ever” get back together with in her 2012 music video for the Red track. He has racked up a number of acting roles of the years on shows like The Brave, The Enemy Within, The Baker and the Beauty, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and NCIS: Hawai’i.
Credit: Taylor Swift/YouTube
Reeve Carney (“I Knew You Were Trouble”)
Two years after he starred in the “I Knew You Were Trouble” music video, Carney landed his memorable role as Dorian Gray on the series Penny Dreadful. He went on to appear in films such as Gemini and House of Gucci in addition originating the role of Orpheus in the Broadway musical Hadestown.
Credit: Taylor Swift/YouTube
Brendan Urie (“ME!”)
Urie starred alongside Swift in the music video for their 2019 collab. Nearly four years later, his band, Panic at the Disco, announced they were disbanding after 20 years.
Credit: Taylor Swift/YouTube
Owenn (“Lover”)
One year after he shared the stage with Swift as a dancer on her Reputation tour, Owenn starred as her love interest in the 2019 music video for her Lover album title track. The two joined forced again in 2023 as Owenn joined Swift’s The Eras Tour as one of her opening acts.
Credit: Taylor Swift/YouTube
Taeok Lee (“Willow”)
Lee is another of Swift’s former dancers who went on to star in her music videos. The Red tour dancer played the singer’s childhood friend-turned lover in the magical video for the Evermore track “Willow.”
