{"id":286172,"date":"2026-02-11T18:43:18","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T18:43:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/286172\/"},"modified":"2026-02-11T18:43:18","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T18:43:18","slug":"taylor-swifts-new-music-video-was-filmed-inside-a-london-members-club","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/286172\/","title":{"rendered":"Taylor Swift\u2019s New Music Video Was Filmed Inside a London Members\u2019 Club"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Estimated3 min read<\/p>\n

Last week, singer-songwriter Taylor Swift debuted a new music video, a 1990s-themed nostalgic spectacle for her song \u201cOpalite\u201d from her most recent album, The Life of a Showgirl. The video, which Swift wrote and directed, follows a lonely duo (portrayed by Swift and Irish actor Domhnall Gleeson) searching for love. They soon discover that the fantasy \u201cOpalite\u201d spray they see advertised on television magically brings them together. Once the couple finds each other, a video montage ensues, where they go on exaggerated, \u201990s-themed dates. One such excursion features a dance competition at a glittering venue\u2014and it was filmed at a real-life members\u2019 club.<\/p>\n

The dance-off scene was shot at the Mildmay Club & Institute, located in London. The club was founded in 1888, according to its website,<\/a> and has been in its current location on Newington Green since 1900. The club\u2019s Instagram account posted photos of Swift and Gleeson in the space, writing<\/a> \u201cOh! Hello @taylorswift.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Mildmay Club was originally called the Mildmay Radical Club and, according to their website<\/a>, the group was initially fairly controversial. The vicar of the nearby St. Matthias church decried the club\u2019s \u201cpernicious influence among the young.\u201d But, in 1930, the group dropped its \u201cradical\u201d moniker and its political leanings. Now, anyone can join the club for a fee and it also hosts concerts, weddings, and other events.<\/p>\n

The \u201cOpalite\u201d video isn\u2019t the first time the club has appeared on screen. It was also a set for Lily Allen’s \u201cLet You W\/In\u201d music video and for Netflix\u2019s 2024 series, Baby Reindeer, per The Mirror.<\/a> <\/p>\n

\"GucciDave Benett\/\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

The Mildmay Club also hosted an event for Gucci in 2017.<\/p>\n

The club\u2019s London setting is one of the video\u2019s many ties to the United Kingdom. Another one of Swift\u2019s filming locations was the Whitgift Shopping Centre<\/a>, a South London mall which also acts as a date spot for the Opalite couple. And, the video\u2019s cast is the same group that appeared with Swift on The Graham Norton Show, a UK late night show. Along with Gleeson, Cillian Murphy, Lewis Capaldi, Greta Lee, Jodie Turner-Smith, and Norton all make cameos in the music video.<\/p>\n

Swift explained how the whole endeavor came about in her Instagram caption<\/a>. Read her full recap below.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy favorite part about writing is that first spark of an idea. It can happen at any time, for any reason. The idea for the Opalite music video crash landed into my imagination when I was doing promo for The Life of a Showgirl. I was a guest on one of my favorite shows, @TheGrahamNortonShowOfficial. For those of you who aren\u2019t familiar, it\u2019s a UK late night show where Graham Norton (the insanely charismatic and lovable host) invites a random group of actors, entertainers, musicians, etc to be on his show and we all sit there and chat like it\u2019s a dinner party. They even serve wine. Anyway. 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\u2019ve 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\u2019s 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\u2019d written for the Opalite video, where he was playing the starring role. 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\u2019t mandatory. To my delight, everyone from the show made the effort to time travel back to the 90\u2019s with us and help with this video. You might even recognize some friendly faces from The Eras Tour. I got to work with one of my favorite people in the world, @rpstam, again! I had more fun than I ever imagined – Made new friends, metaphors, and fashion choices. It was an absolute thrill to create this story and these characters.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Headshot<\/p>\n

Annie Goldsmith is the senior editor and digital lead at ELLE Decor, where she covers design, culture, style, and trends. She previously held positions at The Information, covering technology and culture, and Town & Country, writing about news, entertainment, and fashion. Her work has also appeared in Vogue, Rolling Stone, and the SF Standard.\u00a0<\/p>\n