Los Angeles: Taylor Swift quietly travelled to London last weekend to film a new music video, with details now emerging about the secretive production.
According to reports, the singer arrived on a private jet from New Jersey to shoot the video at several unusual locations, including the Whitgift Centre in Croydon, South London. Additional filming reportedly took place at the Mildmay Club in Stoke Newington, North London, where extras in retro-themed outfits were seen leaving the venue amid festive props such as Christmas trees, glitter cannons and tinsel.
The video is believed to be for the track Opalite from her project The Life of a Showgirl. Media reports suggest that Lewis Capaldi and actor Domhnall Gleeson are expected to make cameo appearances.
A source told The Sun that the entire shoot was conducted under extreme confidentiality, with Swift’s team working “day and night” to keep her movements hidden. “It was like a military operation… if she wants to remain unseen, she’ll make it happen,” the insider said.
Onlookers told the publication that the production used banana milkshake as a substitute for eggnog and grape juice in place of champagne to create festive visuals for the camera.
Female First UK reported that Swift invested close to $1 million in the project, which is said to evoke a nostalgic holiday mood, likened to “Love Actually meets a John Lewis advert.”
Sources added that security measures were unusually stringent — cast members were assigned numbers instead of names, and Swift was escorted between vehicles and buildings under umbrellas and screens to prevent any sightings. Some shops were informed of filming but told it was for an insurance commercial to avoid attracting attention.
The overall budget was estimated at around $1.3 million, with hiring the shopping centre alone costing several hundred thousand pounds, according to the report.
