Grandfather, 83, Who Cameoed in Taylor Swift's 'Opalite' Video Had 'No Idea' Who She Was, But Now Calls Her 'Niftie Swiftie'
Grandfather, 83, Who Cameoed in Taylor Swift's 'Opalite' Video Had 'No Idea' Who She Was, But Now Calls Her 'Niftie Swiftie'
Becca LongmireWed, February 25, 2026 at 2:21 PM UTC
0
Barrie Reynolds; Domhnall Gleeson and Taylor Swift appear in the 'Opalite' music videoCredit: Taylor Swift/Youtube -
An 83-year-old Grandfather from England is revealing all about appearing in Taylor Swfit's "Opalite" music video
Barrie Reynolds, who has a small role as a dancing judge in the video, admitted her had "no idea" who Swift was before being cast but now he calls her "Niftie Swiftie"
The Opalite music video also stars Domhnall Gleeson, Cillian Murphy, Greta Lee, Jodie Turner-Smith, Lewis Capaldi and Graham Norton
A British grandfather admitted he had "no idea" who Taylor Swift was before appearing in her star-studded "Opalite" music video.
Speaking to BBC Radio Kent, Barrie Reynolds, 83 — from the village of Capel-le-Ferne in Kent, 70 miles from London — recalled being asked to be a part of the video as part of his work with an acting and modeling agency.
Reynolds said that his granddaughters, Millie and Francesca, were "very surprised" when they found out he'd be starring in the clip, however, Reynolds said he'd told them, "I'm afraid I have no idea who she was."
Recalling the day of the shoot, Reynolds said, "I was told I needed to be in north London for [7 a.m. local time] and I said there was no trains, so they sent a taxi for me instead." He went on to share that he'd only become aware of Swift after reading about her Eras Tour in a newspaper before taking part in the shoot.
Reynolds — who said he was allowed to take a photograph with the pop superstar at the end of filming — now calls her "Niftie Swiftie," due to her speed when dancing, the BBC reported.
Barrie Reynolds in the 'Opalite' music videoCredit: Taylor Swift/Youtube
And depsite not previously being aware of the "Love Story" hitmaker, Reynolds told the station that he did like her tune "Opalite."
"This particular song was very catchy, even though I scored her a zero!" he said, referencing his appearance as one of the dance show judges toward the end of the '80s-inspired music video.
Domhnall Gleeson and Taylor Swift perform in front of the judges, including Barrie Reynolds, in the 'Opalite' music videoCredit: Taylor Swift/Youtube
Swift plays a lonely woman alongside fellow loner Domhnall Gleeson in the video. After they both use a magical "Opalite" spray to improve their lives, Swift and Gleeson's characters wind up dating before performing a dance routine in front of a panel of judges, including Reynolds.
The grandfather told BBC Radio Kent that Swift was "so kind and very compassionate" and made sure to speak to everybody involved with the shoot. However, he pointed out that "security was very hot."
Advertisement
At the end of the video, a clip is shown of Swift's October 2025 appearance on U.K. talk show The Graham Norton Show, on which she appeared alongside Gleeson, Cillian Murphy, Greta Lee, Jodie Turner-Smith and Lewis Capaldi — all of whom ended up starring in the "Opalite" music video in some way, along with host Norton.
Taylor Swift and Domhnall Gleeson perform in front of the judges, including Barrie Reynolds, in the 'Opalite' music videoCredit: Taylor Swift/Youtube
Swift previously revealed how the whole thing came about in a Feb. 6 Instagram post, the same day that the video premiered.
"The idea for the 'Opalite' music video crash landed into my imagination when I was doing promo for The Life of a Showgirl," she wrote.
Swift explained how she'd been a guest on one of her "favorite shows," The Graham Norton Show, adding, "I remember thinking I got ridiculously lucky with the group I was paired with. Cillian Murphy, Domhnall Gleeson, Greta Lee, @JodieSmith, and @LewisCapaldi. All people whose work I’ve admired from afar."
"When we were all talking during the broadcast, Domhnall made a light-hearted joke about wanting to be in one of my music videos. He’s Irish! He was joking! Except that in that moment during the interview, I was instantly struck with an *idea*. And so a week later, he received an email script I’d written for the 'Opalite' video, where he was playing the starring role," the musician continued.
Domhnall Gleeson and Taylor Swift appear in the 'Opalite' music videoCredit: Taylor Swift/Youtube
She went on, "I had this thought that it would be wild if all of our fellow guests on the Graham Norton show that night, including Graham himself, could be a part of it too. Like a school group project but for adults and it isn’t mandatory. To my delight, everyone from the show made the effort to time travel back to the 90’s with us and help with this video."
— sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
"Opalite" — which is the second single from Swift's 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl — reached the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 this week, marking the first time Swift has had two No. 1 spots from the same album since 2014's 1989. She previously topped the charts with "The Fate of Ophelia."
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
