Taylor Swift Granted A Movie Permission To Use One Of Her Songs After Its Star, Lupita Nyong’o, Told Her The Deep Personal Connection She Had To It

28/06/2024

Warning: Little Monsters spoiler ahead.

If you have seen the 2019 comedy horror movie Little Monsters, then you will know that it ends with a heartwarming scene involving Taylor Swift’s hit single “Shake It Off.”

taylor swift granted a movie permission to use one of her songs after its star, lupita nyong’o, told her the deep personal connection she had to it

For context, the movie stars Lupita Nyong’o as kindergartner teacher Miss Audrey Caroline, and Alexander England as a washed-up musician named Dave. Together, the two find themselves responsible for protecting a group of young schoolchildren during a sudden zombie outbreak. After they manage to survive all manner of ordeals, the group is rescued and placed in a quarantine together in case of infection. The final scene shows Audrey playing the ukulele while she and Dave sing “Shake It Off” to the young children in a bid to lift the mood. The kids also join in with the singing, and the relieved parents are shown watching from outside the quarantine with tears of happiness in their eyes. Screen Australia / Via youtube.com

It was previously reported that the movie’s producers could not get permission to use Taylor’s 2014 song when they first approached her team.

Gareth Cattermole / Gareth Cattermole / Getty Images for TAS Rights Management

However, Lupita was able to seal the deal when she went to Taylor directly, and the star has now revealed exactly what she said to win the singer over.

During an appearance on First We Feast’s Hot Ones , Lupita confirmed to host Sean Evans that the report was correct. She then shared the deep personal connection that she has with “Shake It Off,” explaining: “When I was working in London on Stars Wars , I was going through a lot of self-doubt because it was the second thing I had done. I was getting a little depressed.” “My best friend came to London, and Taylor had just released ‘Shake It Off,’” Lupita continued. “He played it for me to, like, get me into better spirits, and we just jumped on my bed, and we just danced and danced, and it lifted my spirits.” Taylor Hill / FilmMagic

Lupita then admitted that seeing “Shake It Off” in the script for Little Monsters a couple of years later was incredibly meaningful to her.

“When I read the script for Little Monsters , that song and what it meant to Miss Caroline and to the kindergartners, it meant a lot to me that I was going to get to play it on the ukulele and everything,” she said. “When they came and told me: ‘Aw, no, we can’t get the rights,’ I decided: OK, I’m going to go. I’m going to go and make a pitch; I’m going to let Taylor know what this song means to me ,” Lupita recalled. First We Feast / Via youtube.com

“I told her the story about how it lifted me from an almost depression, and the next thing I know, it was cleared,” she concluded.

“I haven’t actually seen her since to thank her for it,” Lupita suddenly realized. “Thank you so much, Taylor. Thank you, thank you, thank you." Greg Allen - Pa Images / PA Images via Getty Images

Lupita has always been open about what a hardcore Taylor fan she is, and just last year, she revealed that Taylor was her top artist in her 2023 Spotify Wrapped.

Last August, Lupita also filmed herself making friendship bracelets before attending Taylor’s sold-out Eras show at SoFi Stadium in California. The actor is currently promoting her new movie A Quiet Place: Day One , which is a prequel to the 2018 horror film A Quiet Place . TikTok @lupitanyongo / Via tiktok.com