Scott Eastwood’s team thought starring in Taylor Swift’s “Wildest Dreams” music video would take him down.
“She just picked up the phone and called me,” Eastwood, 40, said during the Monday, August 3, episode of Dax Shepard’s “Armchair Expert” podcast, recalling how Swift, 36, invited him to be the leading man in the video for her 2014 hit.
“I had no pre-warning,” he continued. “You know, a lot of times people are like, ‘Hey, somebody wants to call you.’ And then they call you. And you’re like, ‘OK, I’ll take that call.’ She was like, ‘Hey, this is Taylor Swift.’”
Eastwood said he was “intrigued” by the creativity behind the video, which saw Swift portray a 1950s actress filming an adventure romance in the African wilderness alongside her handsome costar, played by the Regretting You actor.
“Mostly, too, she wanted to do like an Out of Africa type thing, right?” he explained. “It was like, this cinematic film. The music industry, they don’t do that anymore. It’s not the 90s, and we don’t have these big sort of videos. There’s only a couple artists like Taylor Swift that can do that or afford to make these sort of things.”
While Eastwood was excited about the opportunity to star alongside Swift in her music video, his team wasn’t so keen on the idea.
“I remember telling my agents, and none of them wanted me to. They were like, ‘This is a bad idea. Do not do this,’” he recalled. “They were like, ‘Do not do a Taylor Swift music video.’ And I said, ‘No, you know, I don’t agree.’ I think that she’s cool and she has a really cool idea for this thing. And I think it’s a cool, creative thing.’”
Eastwood added that he has no regrets about the decision, noting that Swift is “amazing.”
The Fury star gushed about working with Swift after the music video’s release in 2015.
“What an amazing time working with @taylorswift,” he wrote via Instagram at the time. “Not only is she a rockstar. But someone I am proud to call a friend. She is a great person and those are hard to find in your life. When you do … Hold tight.”
Swift previously opened up to Us about the inspiration behind “Wildest Dreams” in 2014.
“‘Wildest Dreams’ is the best example of how my expectations have changed when it comes to love,” she shared at the time. “Now, when I meet someone and there’s chemistry, my first thoughts are ‘When this ends, I hope you’ll remember me well.’”
Fans have long speculated that the song is about actor Alexander Skarsgård, whom she met while filming the movie The Giver in South Africa in 2013. While Swift has never publicly confirmed or denied the rumors, Skarsgård, 49, addressed the speculation during his own appearance on Shepard’s podcast in July 2025.
“It’s about Brad Pitt, guys, let’s be honest,” the Legend of Tarzan star joked.
