While some of Taylor Swift’s relationships have played out publicly, others, like her rumored romance with Alexander Skarsgård, are nearly impossible to confirm. Swift and Skarsgård starred in the film adaptation of The Giver, and their off-camera relationship became the subject of speculation. Neither ever confirmed anything, but Swift’s Holmesian fan base wondered if the song “Wildest Dreams” is about the actor. After years of rumors, Skarsgård addressed the speculation.

People wondered if Taylor Swift and Alexander Skarsgård dated while filming ‘The Giver’

The Giver was shot in Cape Town, which meant that most of the cast were far from their families. As a result, they bonded together over the course of filming.

“Jeff [Bridges] created an atmosphere where we really bonded and we hung out,” Skarsgård told Time in 2014. “We were on location in Cape Town, very far from our loved ones back home, so we all hung out on weekends. Jeff is a very social guy. We would throw these big dinner parties and he would always bring his guitar.”

He recalled having jam sessions with Swift.

“We had a piano in the hotel lobby. People would take turns and play the piano and sing,” he said. “I was better on the couch with my beer, howling along. It was really lovely, actually.”

Fans spotted Swift and Skarsgård, along with other cast members, out in Cape Town. This led to speculation that they were involved. This only heated up after the release of her music video for “Wildest Dreams.” In it, Swift has dark hair like she did in The Giver and films a movie in Africa. She also mentions a love interest who is “so tall and handsome as hell,” and Skarsgård is 6’4”. 

Alexander Skarsgård addressed the speculation about his relationship with Taylor Swift

After over a decade of speculation, Skarsgård addressed the rumor that “Wildest Dreams” is about him. Armchair Expert host Dax Shepard said he’d learned the song was about him.

“Do you have the same fear to either acknowledge or deny that that could be true, because the power of the Swifties is so strong that you don’t even want to talk about it?” Shepard asked.

Skarsgård said that this was a concern for him. While he did not confirm or deny that a relationship happened, he poked fun at the rumor.

“Well, I’m gonna be honest,” he said. “I wrote the lyrics to that song and sent it to Taylor.”

For now, Swifties are still in the dark about the inspiration behind the song. 

She said she doesn’t want to only write songs about her life

While Swift has admittedly written a number of songs about her real life, she moved away from this on her albums folklore and evermore. 

“I was just so happy that my world felt opened up creatively,” she said, per Elle. “There was a point that I got to as a writer who only wrote very diaristic songs that I felt it was unsustainable for my future moving forward. It felt like too hot of a microscope…it felt a bit like I was like ‘why am I just like… if I’m writing about my life and all it is…’ On my bad days, I would feel like I was loading a cannon of clickbait when that’s not what I want for my life.”

She said that moving away from her own personal experiences came as a huge relief to her.

“I felt like there would be a point in my life where I could no longer really do that and still maintain a place of good mental health and emotional health and all that,” she said. “So what I felt after we put out folklore was like, ‘Oh wow, people are into this too, this thing that feels really good for my life and feels really good for my creativity… it feels good for them too? Oh my god!’”