Turns out "Where the Crawdads Sing" star Taylor John Smith is a Swiftie — which is convenient, considering that Swift wrote an original song for the film, first heard in the movie's trailer.
The 27-year-old actor, previously in "Sharp Objects" and "Wolves," told TODAY that the first concert he ever went to was a Swift performance at the Delaware State Fair. He was 12.
"Thank you Aunt Lisa for taking me," Smith, 27, told TODAY at the World Premiere Screening of "Where the Crawdads Sing" in New York City.
In the film, out July 15, Smith plays Tate Walker, a boy from a small town who falls in love with Kya (Daisy Edgar-Jones), a girl who raised herself in the marshlands of North Carolina after her father abandoned her as a child.
When Smith learned that Swift wrote an original song for the film entitled "Carolina," he could barely contain his joy.
"That was the best-kept secret on this entire film. I think I asked like, Taylor Swift, Taylor Swift?"And they were like, 'Is there another one?' And I'm like, 'I don't know.' But it was incredible," he said.
"Where the Crawdads Sing" is a best-selling 2018 novel by Delia Owens. The South Carolina-set novel was adapted into a screenplay after Reese Witherspoon picked it for her book club in September of that year.
Once Swift learned that her favorite book was going to be turned into a movie, she immediately reached out to Witherspoon to see if she could be a part of the project.
"I found out that she read the book and wrote a letter to Reese and to Livi (director Olivia Newman) saying how much she loved it with the link to the song," Smith said. "They didn't ask her to do it. She was just so impacted by the book like we all were that she wanted to create a piece of art to accompany it. She's super cool."
Swift released "Carolina" on June 24, telling fans on Instagram that her intentions were to "create something haunting and ethereal to match this mesmerizing story."
Harris Dickinson, who plays Chase Andrews in “Where the Crawdads Sing,” said that he loved the final song. “It’s a lovely tune,” he told TODAY at the World Premiere Screening.
"Where the Crawdads Sing" is set to hit theaters on Friday, July 15.