Shawn Levy, the Free Guy and upcoming Deadpool 3 filmmaker tells EW that he sees something extraordinary — akin to Steven Spielberg — in Taylor Swift as she prepares to direct her first feature picture.
In an interview to promote the launch of his new Netflix series All the Light We Cannot See, Levy says that, while he can’t discuss his experience starring in Swift’s “All Too Well” music video owing to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, he admires her approach to the art form.
After working with Swift on the short film in which he briefly co-starred with Sadie Sink, the star of the Levy-produced science fiction series Stranger Things, Levy denies that the “Cruel Summer” singer approached him for help for her feature. “Taylor has not consulted me about upcoming directing projects, but I think she has the makings of a hell of a director.”
According to Levy, Swift is a rare “generational voice and creative force” in the industry whose cultural influence is only matched by Beyoncé.
“That list is short. Taylor, the depth of her vision for how she wants a creative piece to be, whether it’s a lyric, a melody, a bridge, a concert tour, a video, it’s profound. It’s profoundly vivid, and she has the strength of her convictions,”
Levy continues, bringing up an important Spielberg principle that makes him think of Swift’s creativity. When Spielberg visited the set of Real Steel, a film he produced and I directed, I asked him, ‘How do you know it’s the right shot?’ His answer was, ‘The way you see it, that makes it right,'” recalls Levy.
“I feel like that’s something Taylor Swift has figured out really well, because that’s about trusting your instinct.”
In December 2022, Searchlight Pictures said Swift would direct her first full-length film from a screenplay she created. Prior to that, she made history by becoming the first artist to ever win two Best Director MTV VMA awards, one for her “The Man” music video and the other for All Too Well: The Short Film.
Swift can be seen in her highly anticipated Eras Tour concert film, which premiered on Wednesday and will be released in theatres across the country on Friday.
