The Mall From Taylor Swift's "Opalite" Video Looks So Different IRL
Get in, loser — we're going set-jetting.
Taylor Swift may have said “so long, London,” but the showgirl returned to the U.K. once more for her latest music video. According to multiple outlets, the 36-year-old singer flew across the pond in November to film her latest single, “Opalite” — which Swift confirmed on Instagram that she got the idea for while appearing on The Graham Norton Show weeks prior.
At the time, Swift was a guest on the British talk show hosted by Graham Norton, alongside Cillian Murphy, Domhnall Gleeson, Greta Lee, Jodie Turner-Smith, and Lewis Capaldi. “When we were all talking during the broadcast, Domhnall made a light-hearted joke about wanting to be in one of my music videos,” Swift wrote on IG on Friday, Feb. 6. “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 Life of a Showgirl singer not only invited the Harry Potter alum to star in the video with her, but everyone else on Norton’s couch. Since most of the cast is based overseas, there was no better place to film the “Opalite” music video — and fans were quick to find some of the exact locations.
Taylor’s “Opalite” Mall Is A Blast From The Past
When rumors of Swift filming her next single started to swirl at the end of last year, outlets reported that something was going down at the Whitgift Shopping Centre. After watching the “Opalite” music video, it’s obvious this was the ‘90s mall location where she and Gleeson ride the escalator together with two soft pretzels in their hands.
The shopping center was transformed and taken back in time, similar to how Stranger Things took over an old mall in Georgia to make it look like Starcourt in the ‘80s. If fans wanted to visit Whitgift today, it might not look the same as it did in the video, but you can ride the escalator while snacking on some pretzels just like Swift and Gleeson did.
Another Filming Location
The Mildmay Club in London also confirmed via Instagram Stories that Swift filmed the dance competition scene there. The social hall has been used in a number of TV shows and movies like Baby Reindeer and Killing Eve. It was even the location for Swift’s ex Calvin Harris’ “Sweet Nothing” music video featuring Florence Welch.
It seems she may no longer love a London boy, but Swift’s still a fan of the British city. If you’re ever planning a Taylor-themed set-jetting adventure, you have at least two new locations to add to the list.
