Just hours after the release of “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version),” Taylor Swift surprised fans at her Kansas City show with the debut of her Easter-egg-filled music video for “I Can See You.” As the mastermind behind the music video, Swift served as both writer and director. She also ensured it had plenty of tie-ins to the “Speak Now” era thanks to the video starring Joey King, Taylor Lautner, and Presley Cash. (Cash and King starred in the 2011 music video for “Mean,” while Swift’s ex Lautner is the inspiration behind “Back to December.”)
Swift invited Lautner, Cash, and King on stage at her Eras Tour stop in Kansas City on July 7 to introduce the video before it played for a stadium full of excited fans. After backflipping his way onto the stage, Lautner praised Swift. “I respect you so much,” he said. “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.”
In the video, the trio of actors work together to help spring Swift from a literal vault. The “Antihero” singer revealed on Instagram that she had long hoped to pull off the concept, which served as a metaphor for how her fans have supported her in her quest to reclaim her music.
“WELL. SO. I’ve been counting down for months and finally the ‘I Can See You’ video is out,” she captioned a carousel of images from the music video’s set. “I wrote this video treatment over a year ago and really wanted to play out symbolically how it’s felt for me to have the fans helping me reclaim my music. I had my heart set on @joeyking, @taylorlautner and @helloimpresleycash starring in it. 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!!”
She went on to reveal Lautner did all of his own stunts for the action-packed video. “Taytay is INCREDIBLE in this (didn’t have a stunt double!) and shout out to @taylautner for being so awesome to hang with on set,” she continued. “The Tale of 3 Taylors I always wanted to direct fight scenes/a heist storyline and had the most incredible time plotting this out with my amazing DP @selajon. So proud of this one.”
In her post, Swift included a shot of herself, Lautner, and his wife, Taylor Dome, re-creating the Spider-Man meme, which features three Spider-Men all pointing at one another in confusion, on the set of the music video. Dome shared a similar photo on her Instagram, alongside a throwback photo of herself meeting Swift in 2010.
“@taylorswift you are not only one of the most talented people to ever walk this earth (truly don’t think there is anything you can’t do) but you are also one of THE kindest people,” Dome wrote. “You welcomed my husband and I into your camp with open arms and the warmest heart. The way you are so down to earth and authentically yourself after all these years of being in the spotlight is inspiring. Your passion for your work and genuine love for your fans is something so incredible. I am honored to call you a friend.”
King also had nothing but kind words for Swift. She captioned an Instagram featuring photos from the night, “Was any of this real??? Did this actually happen? Taylor, you’ve been such a huge figure in my life since we met when I was 9 years old. I’ve known you longer than I haven’t, and I feel so lucky for it. You are truly the most magical person. I love you forever.”
Check out the music video, which includes nods to the “Mean” video and Swift’s lucky number 13, ahead.