Domhnall Gleeson shines alongside Taylor Swift in the star-studded music video for “Opalite,” fulfilling a long-held wish he expressed on The Graham Norton Show. Released on February 6, the imaginative video transforms a shopping center in Croydon, England, into a vibrant 1990s-themed setting, complete with blue sequined jumpsuits, mall romance, and surprise celebrity appearances.
The collaboration originated in October during a Graham Norton late-night episode featuring Gleeson, Swift, Lewis Capaldi, Cillian Murphy, Greta Lee, and Jodie Turner-Smith. Gleeson humorously mentioned his desire to appear in one of Swift’s music videos, a comment Swift later called “ridiculously lucky” in its timing. Shortly after, she sent Gleeson a personalized script for “Opalite,” a track from her album The Life of a Showgirl.
Swift described the project as “a school group project but for adults,” aiming to include every guest from that particular Graham Norton episode. All participants embraced the 1990s aesthetic Swift envisioned for the video’s retro fantasy theme.
The six-minute video opens with a fictional commercial advertising “Opalite” spray, a chemical concoction promising to enhance “unsatisfied” lives. Swift’s character is seen crafting friendship bracelets—a nod to her Eras Tour fans—and awkwardly dating a large grey rock, including a karaoke outing. Gleeson’s character arrives with his own quirky companion: a cactus. Together, they forge a romantic bond and experience “mall magic” after using the Opalite spray.
The video is enriched by notable cameos: Jodie Turner-Smith plays an aerobics instructor, Greta Lee appears as a vocalist, and Lewis Capaldi takes on the role of a humorous mall photographer capturing the couple’s playful moments. Cillian Murphy narrates the commercial and appears with a thumbs-up in promotional images, while Graham Norton portrays a skeptical “Nope-alite” salesman within the mall setting.
