Taylor Swift reunites with ex Taylor Lautner, other ex John Mayer asks people to be 'kind'
MANILA, Philippines — Taylor Swift's surprises did not stop with the release of her re-recorded "Speak Now" album as she reunited with her ex-boyfriend Taylor Lautner for the music video of one of the album's vault songs.
Swift was in Kansas City for her ongoing "Eras" tour the night "Speak Now (Taylor's Version)" was released worldwide and premiered the music video for vault song "I Can See You."
The singer-songwriter wrote, directed and starred in the music video with actors Joey King, Presley Cash and Lautner, who was the inspiration for another beloved song on the album, "Back To December."
King and Cash had previously appeared in the music video for "Mean," another song on "Speak Now," back in 2011 when they were nine and 13 years old, respectively.
In the music video, the three actors are performing a heist to break out Swift, who is locked in a vault and bearing tattoos of her favorite number 13. Its lyrics go: "I had the time of my life fighting dragons with you." This is taken from another "Speak Now" song, "Long Live."
Lautner joins King just as they pass through a room full of Swift's many outfits throughout the years. Purple, the color associated with "Speak Now," also features prominently throughout the music video.
WATCH: Exes Taylor Swift and Taylor Lautner reunite in new music video
When Swift escapes the vault, she is carrying the album cover of "Speak Now (Taylor's Version)." The blowing up of the building she was trapped in has been speculated by fans as an allusion to Swift's riff with her previous label, which led to her re-recording her past albums.
Taylor and Taylor (and Taylor)
Swift then surprised her fans, or Swifties, in attendance by bringing out the three actors onstage after the premiere, with Lautner even doing cartwheels and backflips.
"He was a very positive force in my life when I was making the 'Speak Now' album, and I want to say he did every single stunt that you saw in that music video," Swift told the crowd. "He and his wife have become some of my closest friends, and it's very convenient because we all share the same first name."
Lautner married Taylor Dorne last year; to avoid confusion, she goes by Tay Lautner.
"I respect you so much. Not just for the singer you are, the songwriter, the performer — but truly for the human you are. You are gracious, humble, kind and I’m honored to know you," Lautner told Swift.
WELL. SO. I’ve been counting down for months and finally the ‘I Can See You’ video is out. I wrote this video treatment over a year ago and really wanted to play out symbolically how it’s felt for me to have the fans helping me reclaim my music. I had my heart set on @JoeyKing,… pic.twitter.com/Vw7SN924sR
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) July 8, 2023
The singer later shared on social media how the "I Can See You" music video came about and that she and the Lautner couple recreated the popular "Spider-Man" meme pointing at each other.
'Please be kind'
Another ex of Swift's may not be feeling the same gratitude as Lautner, but likely anticipated he would be receiving comments following the release of "Speak Now (Taylor's Version)."
Singer-songwriter John Mayer, whom Swift briefly dated from 2009 to 2010 when Mayer was 32 years old while she was 19, posted a series of photos from his July 6 concert in Boulder, Colorado, with the band Dead & Company.
The last photo in the collage was of drones spelling out the words "Please be kind." Many fans assumed Swift's relationship with Mayer was the inspiration for the emotionally hard-hitting song "Dear John."
Swifties flooded Mayer's post with lyrics from "Dear John." They pointed out it was unwise for Mayer to choose pictures of him in purple light, hours before "Speak Now (Taylor's Version)" dropped.
Actor Jake Gyllenhaal, another ex of Swift's, got similar treatment after the release of "Red (Taylor's Version)" in 2021. Fans assumed he was the reason Taylor wrote "All Too Well," which has a 10-minute version on the re-recorded album.
Lautner had previously joked that he felt "safe" for the release of "Speak Now (Taylor's Version)" and even posted a video of himself "praying" for a certain John.
Apart from the addition of six vault songs, the only change Swift made to her version of "Speak Now" was tweaking some controversial lyrics in the chorus of "Better Than Revenge."
The line, "She's better known for the things that she does on the mattress, whoa," was changed to "He was a moth to the flame / She was holding the matches, whoa." Some people perceived the lyrics of the 2010 song as slut-shaming.
On the same day "Speak Now (Taylor's Version)" was released, Filipino Swifties were flustered attempting to get tickets for Swift's six "Eras Tour" concerts in Singapore, her only other stop in Asia apart from Japan. — Video from Taylor Swift YouTube channel
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