Transgender male model Laith Ashley played the role of Taylor Swift’s love interest in her “Lavender Haze” music video, and he spilled the tea on his experience working with the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter.
In a 2023 interview with Elle, the 33-year-old model, activist and singer said that he felt like the opportunity to appear in the music video was a prank. His manager assured him that it was in fact legit though, and so he made sure that his skin looked good for the shoot.
Ashley also revealed that he rewatched Swift’s previous music videos with other love interests in preparation for the “Lavender Haze” MV.
“Interestingly enough, I rewatched her with other love interests in previous videos,” he shared.
The model continued by admitting that he was “afraid to touch” the “Midnight Rain” singer, and he revealed the reason why, expressing:
“I was just so afraid to touch her. Like I know we’re acting, but I always says it’s the trans masculine urge to just be overly considerate of a woman’s body and her boundaries. So I was nervous and awkward and smiling the whole time, because I was so nervous.”
“I actually asked if I could do that. We were dancing with each other and spinning around, and I asked, ‘Can I carry you?’ And she said, ‘Yeah, of course,’ and she jumped on me,” Ashley recalled about the scene where he dances with Swift.
He further shared,
“I asked, ‘Can I move you around?’ She was like, ‘Go for it.’ And I dipped her back and then back up, and we did that a couple times, and she was having a great time. I was like, ‘Great this is awesome, I hope it looks great on camera.’ And they ended up using that part.”
Moreover, Ashley shared the MV on Instagram, and on the caption he wrote:
“Thank you @taylorswift for allowing me to play a small part in your story. You are brilliant and this is an experience I will never forget. It was truly magical.
Your storytelling abilities through your music and visuals continues to leave me in awe, inspired, and hopeful.
Thank you for being an ally and for continuously using your platform for good. Representation matters.
AND LOVE WILL ALWAYS WIN!Now go check it out if you haven’t already!”
You can watch the whimsical “Lavender Haze” music video here:
Source: cheatsheet.com
