Dylan O’Brien Was a Big Taylor Swift Fan Before Starring in ‘All Too Well’ Short Film: 5 Things to Know

Big fan! Taylor Swift directed a short film to accompany the new 10-minute version of her Red hit “All Too Well” — and she secured an impressive roster of stars to bring the story to life.

The music video — which will drop on Friday, November 12, alongside the Red rerelease — features Dylan O’Brien and Sadie Sink, much to fans’ excitement.

“Shot on 35mm film with cinematography by the brilliant @the_rinayang,” the “Bad Blood” performer, 31, teased via Instagram on Thursday, November 11, alongside a movie poster for her directorial debut. “Plan your watch parties or grab your blanket and curl up into a ball. However you want to watch All Too Well The Short Film, it’ll be out tomorrow on YouTube at 7pm Eastern. 🥲”

While many fans may have been shocked to learn that the Teen Wolf alum, 30, and the Stranger Things star, 19, were cast opposite one another in the heartwrenching project, O’Brien — a longtime Swiftie — has been more than ready for the role.

When Swift teased the casting announcement earlier this month, the Love & Monsters actor retweeted the news with an emoji of a curious pair of eyes, It was hardly the first time he’s put his love for the Pennsylvania native on display, having shared multiple tweets and answered several questions about her songwriting skills.

“Oh my goodness, like ever?” the New York native joked in April while telling Coup de Main magazine his favorite Swift songs. “T. Swift, I mean, it’s amazing — give any of the rest of us, like, six months in quarantine and we look back on it, like, ’S—t, I should have done more.’ Give Taylor Swift six months in quarantine and she writes 50 hit songs. It’s incredible.”

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He added at the time that he thought the song “Mirrorball” from 2020’s Folklore “doesn’t get enough credit,” before adding, “I’m a big ‘Mirrorball’ fan. I love ‘My Tears Ricochet’ and ‘Mad Woman,’ ‘Epiphany’ [and] ‘The 1.’ There’s so many more, but those are my highlights.”

The Maze Runner star, who doesn’t shy away from sharing his opinions on Twitter, was particularly impressed to learn that President Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign used Swift’s “Only the Young” in advertisements.

“THIS IS WHY WE STAN!!!!!!! @taylorswift13,” O’Brien tweeted in October 2020, adding hashtags for “Vote” and “Biden Harris 2020.”

In another video at the time, he showed off his holiday decorations while referencing “Lover” lyrics, noting, “We could leave the Christmas lights up ‘till January. #TaylorSwift, let’s go.”

Scroll below to learn more about O’Brien ahead of the “All Too Well” short film premiere:

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Before working with the Cats actress on the “All Too Well” video, the Infinite star has been a fervent Swift supporter, even coming to her defense in the face of Smash Mouth’s shade about her album, Folklore.

“F–k Smash Mouth,” he tweeted in July 2020 after the “All Star” crooners called the record “borelore” via the social media platform.

O’Brien made a name for himself as a teen heartthrob, starring in Teen Wolf, The Maze Runner, The First Time (alongside ex Britt Robertson), The Internship, Deepwater Horizon and appearing on an episode of New Girl.

“I was entering a new chapter in my life and career simultaneously,” he told Deadline in October 2020 while discussing his role in The Education Of Fredrick Fitzell. “I must have read a hundred projects and to do one it had to be really great. A lot of things struck me about this script, it was exceptionally impressive, extraordinarily visual.”

He continued at the time, “When I read [the script], I felt like I was going through a quarter-life crisis. I had been allowing myself to be in this pretty f—ked up, lost place. And then this script came along and I thought it was crazy how much it was me at that moment. The film surrounds a guy who is balking at the next stage of his life, he’s dealing with tremendous loss, and at that time in his life, he reached back, to a specific night. I liked that idea. It’s a very human story.”

Earlier this year, he further discussed the transition from former teen star to bonafide leading man.

“I felt like I was in this transitional phase of my life that was, you know, sort of close to a quarter-life crisis type thing,” the Flashback star told NME magazine in May of taking on that role. “For whatever reason, it was like me and this script were meant to be. I remember reading it and thinking: ‘I am this guy right now.'”

In addition to acting, O’Brien has also dabbled in music. The actor used to drum for the group Slow Kids at Play, which featured some of his best friends from high school.

 “Last summer, we [he and Maze Runner costar, Will Poulter] got back from filming and I was kinda, like, stoked to get home and jam with my band,” he explained during a September 2014 interview with KiddNation before explaining he received a Snapchat of the group “jamming with another drummer” in his place.

By 2017, he formed a new band, The Apology, with Maze Runner costar Thomas Brodie Sangster and Dexter Darden. 

While he’s known for playing larger-than-life characters on screen, O’Brien previously told Elle magazine that he’s actually very timid.

 “You know, in regard to performing, it couldn't be funnier that I ended up being an actor, because I'm really shy,” he told the magazine in September 2014. “Unless I'm really comfortable with a person. … Everyone says that to me. They're always like, ‘Yeah, right,’ and it just cracks me up. I wish more believed me when I say it. But Stiles [from Teen Wolf] is just so confident and extroverted; I’m much more internal.”

The actor added at the time, “I'm shy and reserved, and there is nothing about me that wants to throw myself out to the world like that [and embrace his fame]. I don't resent those people or anything, but it's hard to feel like you're a person. You go around everywhere and people treat you like a doll. …You’ve got to pull back a little. If you keep fighting it, it'll just make you go crazy.”