Ryan Murphy has revealed himself to be a bonafide Swiftie (like the rest of us), with the TV mogul saying he would work with Taylor Swift “in a heartbeat.”
The showrunner — who has created everything from Glee to American Horror Story — made the revelation about his desire to work with the pop star in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter. Murphy is currently promoting his new show Grotesquerie, which famously pulled off a stunt casting moment by tapping Travis Kelce in a major role.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, the NFL player is Swift’s much-publicized boyfriend, so it wasn’t long before Murphy’s interview veered toward the topic of a potential collaboration with the “Shake it Off” singer. When asked whether she would appear alongside Kelce in some capacity in season two of Grotesquerie, Murphy revealed he has “talked to Taylor’s people about various things through the years.”
He went on to say that if Swift “ever has time to do it, I would do it in a heartbeat.” Murphy went on to reveal that Grotesquerie features a Swiftian Easter Egg during a scene involving Kelce, when his character drives off in “a red getaway car” in episode three. For the uninitiated, Swift has a song called “Getaway Car” that appeared on her album Red, so Murphy described the moment as “a little Taylor Swift nod for you there.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Murphy described Swift as “one of the greats,” saying her buzzy relationship with Kelce — which has overtaken much of this writer’s brain for the better part of a year — is a “pop culture phenomenon” that has “captured the imagination of the world.” If Murphy ever gets a hold of Swift’s team, the hypothetical Grotesquerie appearance would add to her already impressive (and growing) number of screen roles in recent year.
Swift made her film debut in 2010’s star-studded rom com Valentine’s Day, and later worked with David O. Russell on the 2022 film Amsterdam. In a role she would probably much rather forget, Swift also featured in the film adaptation of Cats, as one of multiple CGI-infused nightmare felines.
While it’s all speculative, Murphy’s history of casting non-actors like Swift might just dissuade her from ever collaborating with him. In 2023 Murphy did the ultimate stunt cast of all when he announced that Kim Kardashian — Swift’s arch-nemesis — would play a major role in American Horror Story’s latest season, subtitled Delicate. That decision prompted outrage among some fans, and given the gallons of bad blood between Swift and Kardashian, perhaps the singer-songwriter will steer clear of Murphy’s often controversial TV shows.
Regardless of whether fans’ hopes for Swift achieving EGOT status come to fruition, her boyfriend continues to stay booked and busy in Hollywood. Off the field, Kelce has slated a hosting role on Prime Video’s upcoming game show Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?, a spin-off of Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?. Elsewhere, the Kansas City Chiefs player will appear in the Happy Gilmore sequel, as confirmed by star Adam Sandler, though details of his role remain scarce.
Here’s hoping Swift does grace the screen once more. Not just because it’s a chance to show off her acting chops, but also as a way of ensuring that Cats is buried so deep in her credits list that we forget her involvement altogether.
