Though Taylor Swift is one of the biggest pop stars in the world, there was a time when Scott Eastwood barely knew she existed.
The actor, 39, recently revealed that he was largely unfamiliar with the songwriting icon before starring in the 2015 desert-set music video for her sultry 2014 hit, “Wildest Dreams.”
Speaking with the Associated Press alongside his Regretting You costars Dave Franco and Mason Thames, Eastwood recalled when Swift offered him the now-famous role.
“I’d never met Taylor Swift before. She called me out of the blue. She said, ‘Hey this is Taylor.’ I’m, like, ‘Taylor who?’” he said, per the outlet.
Franco, 40, informed Eastwood that when the Regretting You cast watched the video on set, fellow costar Mckenna Grace was shocked to learn that he was the guy on the screen.
“Mckenna didn’t realize that you were the guy. Like this is a video dear to her heart, and she put it together in the moment: Scott’s the guy from the ‘Wildest Dreams’ video. She immediately called her mom. She goes ‘Scott’s the guy.’ And we hear her mom through the phone go, ‘No!’ You have a place in a lot of people’s hearts with that video,” the Now You See Me star shared.
In a 2016 interview with People, Eastwood–who is the son of the legendary Clint Eastwood– detailed the pushback he received when he was offered the role, according to Billboard.
The Longest Ride star shared, “None of my agents wanted me to do it, actually. They said, ‘Oh, we don’t want you to do that! Why would you be Taylor Swift’s boy toy?’ and I said, ‘Why the h–l not?’”
Despite his agents’ hesitations, Eastwood is glad he decided to take the opportunity.
In 2023, he told E! News he has “fond memories” of working on the project with Swift.
“I’m glad I did that–because people told me not to do it at the time,” he continued, revealing that he told the doubters, “Taylor Swift’s cool.”
“Wildest Dreams”–which was initially released as the ninth track on Swift’s hit 2014 album, 1989–went on to achieve massive success, having reached the No. 5 slot on the Billboard Hot 100 in November 2015. Its music video has amassed over 988 million views in the ten years since its release.
And though Eastwood told E! News that he hasn’t kept in touch with Swift, the acclaimed actor has plenty of exciting work on his plate.
His latest film, Regretting You–which is directed by Josh Boone and based on the 2019 romance novel by Colleen Hoover–hits theaters today, October 24.