Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Evening Standard
Evening Standard
National
Bairbre Holmes

How three Irish stars ended up in Taylor Swift’s Opalite video

Taylor Swift performing on stage at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin during the Eras Tour in 2024 (PA) - (PA Archive)

Irish actor Domhnall Gleeson stars in Taylor Swift’s latest music video, which also features appearances from his countrymen Cillian Murphy and Graham Norton.

The video for the US pop star’s song Opalite was released on the Apple Music and Spotify streaming platforms on Friday afternoon.

Rumours of Gleeson’s participation in the project began after pictures of promotional billboards for the track appeared on social media a few hours before its release.

In the almost six-minute video, which Swift also directed, she and Gleeson play love interests dubbed ‘lonely woman’ and ‘lonely man’.

Before the release on Friday, the singer’s legion of fans had circulated a clip of the pair appearing together with Oscar-winning Cork actor Murphy on The Graham Norton Show in October.

During their interview, Swift complimented Gleeson’s performance in the sitcom The Paper, saying she “loved” the show.

From left, Taylor Swift, Cillian Murphy, Greta Lee, Jodie Turner-Smith, Domhnall Gleeson and Lewis Capaldi with host Graham Norton during filming in October 2025 (Matt Crossick/PA Media Assignments/PA) (PA Wire)

Murphy then quipped: “It’s worth watching for Domhnall’s dancing alone”.

To which Gleeson replied: “I’m hoping to get into a Taylor Swift music video”.

This elicited an astonished and surprised look from the US singer.

In the video, Clondalkin-born Norton plays a salesman, with Murphy appearing on billboards and advertisements, as well as providing a voiceover.

Swift released her 12th studio album The Life Of A Showgirl in October (Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott/PA) (PA Media)

Clips from the Graham Norton Show feature at the end of the video, including the exchange between Swift, Gleeson and Murphy.

The other guests on the episode – actresses Greta Lee and Jodie Turner-Smith, and Scottish singer Lewis Capaldi – also appear in the music video.

Opalite is the second single from the record-breaking album The Life Of A Showgirl, which was released on October 3.

The singer said she wrote it about her fiance NFL player Travis Kelce, whose birthstone is opal.

Swift brought her Eras Tour to Dublin win June 2024 when she played three sold-out gigs at the Aviva Stadium.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.