Taylor Swift is aptly using her Eras Tour to return to particular periods of her life in person.
The “Back to December” singer stunned Kansas City audiences Friday by bringing out ex-boyfriend Taylor Lautner, who inspired the song, for a sold-out show at Arrowhead Stadium — and premiered a new music video for “I Can See You” that stars him.
“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,” said Swift about her Grammy-nominated album from 2010, per Page Six.
“He and his wife have become some of my closest friends, and it’s very convenient because we all share the same first name,” she continued about Lautner and his spouse Taylor Dome, whom the “Twilight” actor married in 2022.
Lautner was joined on stage by “The Kissing Booth” actor Joey King and “A Star Is Born’s” Presley Cash, all of whom starred in Swift’s new video — which was shown at the stadium mere hours after her re-recorded version of “Speak Now” hit streaming services.
“I respect you so much,” Lautner told Swift on stage in reciprocation to her praise, per Page Six. “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.”
Swift famously dated the actor in 2009 and announced on Instagram after the show that she’s been “counting down the months” to release the music video, which she purportedly wrote the treatment for “over a year ago” with hopes of King and Cash agreeing to co-star.
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“Joey and Presley had been in the video for ‘Mean’ when they were 9 and 13, and they are back and so ridiculously bad ass!!” Swift wrote on Instagram about her heist movie-inspired video. “Taytay (Lautner) is INCREDIBLE in this (didn’t have a stunt double!).”
“Back to December” notably described Lautner’s “tan skin” and “sweet smile.” Swift reportedly said at the time that it was “a song and a conversation that needed to happen” and that she felt “comfortable singing about these details” but was too shy to discuss them.
The singer has been steadily re-recording her first six albums under the “(Taylor’s Version)” banner after signing with Republic Records in 2018, as she had contractually agreed with Big Machine Records in 2004 to give up her rights to them in exchange for cash advances.
Swift explained on Instagram that she has “always wanted to direct fight scenes/a heist storyline” and added that she “really wanted to play out symbolically how it’s felt for me to have the fans helping me reclaim my music.”
Lautner, whose wife Swift lauded in the post “for being so awesome to hang with on set,” took to social media himself after the concert to announce: “Secrets out! Tonight was wild.” Meanwhile, the more than 70,000 fans who attended Friday’s show presumably agreed.