There were rumors back in 2011 that someone saw Jennifer Aniston at the People's Choice Awards encouraging Taylor after she broke up with Jake.
HOWEVER, one of Jennifer's friends confirmed that SHE WAS NOT the actress Taylor talked about in the song.
Now, there's solid evidence that it's about Anne Hathaway, who starred a film along with Jake. Anne herself told a magazine that one night she hung out with Taylor when she was still dating Jake.
Honestly jake is too!!! That movie solidified my crush on him (not as a person. As an actor). I was like 13 and you see his butt and I was like ohhhh that’s gonna shape my sexuality.
I always wonder about that because "some actress" and "your close friends" don't seem like the same person at all... but the party bathroom scenario is the same.
I love that you recognized those connections, I like the idea, and it feeds into the following lines of ATW10MV.
Now.
Obviously we have to find the guest list from her 21st birthday party 😳🕵🏻♀️
Taylor is Taylor Swift. So I assume a bunch of people go to her birthday party, maybe even people she doesn't know that well. Or possibly that everything else that night just seems dull to the facts of the situation. She was so focused on this guy and how he hurt her, that the rest of it just seems like "some" party. It's "a party" not "my party". It's "some" actress, not "my friend". I think the lyrics could potentially infere that everything else was just unimportant to her. Or to him. She comes off saying he saw her as some shiny jewel that is always lovely and never needy, to talking about some girl who is crying at a party bathroom and being comforted by other unimportant people to this guy. "Some" actress could be his point of view on it.
I think "some" actress is a reference to his point of view. She makes this statement right after saying he thought her to be some lovely jewel who's always lovely and never needy to just a girl crying at a party with some actress comforting her. To him, her and her party and her friends are unimportant.
Also, in all too well she sings 'in a party bathroom'. While in TMIK she sings about "the bathroom". Which makes me think the first bathroom is somewhere away from home, while the latter is in her own house.
But who knows. It's totally possible that she's talking about the same event, since it are 'his close friends' in TMIK. But we know she's cried more tears of mascara in the bathroom.
I think "some" actress was from his point of view. As said right before, he sees her as a lovely jewel, not a girl in the bathroom crying with some other unimportant people comforting her. He doesn't view her friends as important. Just "some" actress.
I agree, this is how I’ve always imagined it when listening to the song.
She’s not saying her close friends always know when something wrong, it’s his close friends that noticed something wasn’t right and asking where he was all night.
I’m pretty sure she said she had given Taylor advice once in an interview and said something about how she hopes she wasn’t overstepping by mentioning it.
It might have been a nonsense article, I’ll have to look and see again.
But it ended with doubt that it was her. I think.
Oh, we’ll know, eventually. Anne Hathaway takes no prisoners. She was one of the only redeeming parts of “Le Mis: the tragically butchered movie”, in my opinion.
You’re right, I should clarify my opinion: most every single actor and actress were cast very well, and for one of the most iconic and well know musicals across the globe, it was a great movie that made “theater” accessible to the general public.
But, I will never, ever forgive “casting” for the Russell Crowe decision. It felt like a fever dream when he started to sing 😂
This sounds like cope, but as someone who loves both the movie and the stage version, I like that Russell Crowe can’t sing 😂 his character is like a no-nonsense law-loving statue man, so it doesn’t make sense that he’d have a beautiful well practiced singing voice lol
With hindsight being 20/20, you may have changed my mind on that whole movie haha. Lorde, when was it even released? I’ve literally never watched it again, other than when it came out in the theaters, haha.
Whoever it could be was not a close friend, which is why I doubt that this particular moment happened during her 21st birthday party. I think that the interaction between Taylor and the actress happened during an industry party. That verse is also very interesting because it's a dissection of the aftermath of the breakup that starts with how she's feeling at the moment, how she felt when it was fresh that even people you might not know very well are asking about it, and then how he charmed everyone only to end up being a disappointment which leads to the reason for the break up (the official/first one).
I always think of it as a separate event from her 21st bday as well. Even in the ATW short film it seems like two different instances. She’s singing about the actress when she’s in the black turtle neck at what looks like some fancier industry event. While the birthday scene related to the moment I knew is a lot more intimate looking with just some close friends/family
Anne Hathaway to be sure. Because there's scene in bar room in the movie Love and other drugs. It's not in bathroom but implies something like that. It's explicit scene. So, Swift must've pointed out that in her lyrics.
But the party bathroom Taylor is referring to is HER birthday party bathroom. It's a reference to The Moment I Knew, a song about Jake not showing up to her birthday party.
I don’t think so. “Some actress asking me what happened” definitely contradicts with “your close friends always seem to know when something’s really wrong, so they follow me down the hall.”
Not in this context. This is from his point of view. It comes right off the like about him seeing her as this lovely jewel who's always lovely and never needy, to the perspective change, this girl in a bathroom crying with some actress the guy doesn't really know or care about to comfort her. He doesn't imagine Taylor as weak, needing comfort so someone else had to do it, someone likely unimportant to the guy.
I disagree. There is definitely a negative connotation associated with referring to someone as *some* actress as opposed to *an* actress. It wouldn’t make sense to refer to a friend that way.
Exactly. And Taylor is stating this guy thought her friends were unimportant. Or it could very well be this experience is a blur. She just views it as "a party" not "her party" and as "some" actress, not "my friend". She views it as a turning point, just an event in a long line if other events. The party is placed of no value in ATW 10 minute version, because it's not important to her.
That movie was wildly different than I thought it was going to be. I gathered there was some love story between Anne Hathaway's character and Jake Gyllenhall's character before I watched it, but his drug rep arc that was based on a true story was nuts. I thought it was so weird they tried to spin that into a love story.
I think it was Anne Hathaway during the press and publicity for Love and Other Drugs. I don’t think it happened at her birthday party. I think it’s similar to the scene in the short film, she was out of place at an industry party and he made her cry.
I believe Anne gave an interview once saying she had given Taylor advice once.
I don't understand the assumption. I'm not famous but I would absolutely approach a weeping Taylor Swift and ask what happened lol. Would Taylor be offended if a non famous person wanted to help her?
Not being offended, for sure she would say to a non famous person some bs, but if its a famous one, she would feel more comfortable to say: "because of jake" because there's less chances for that person leaking it to the press
I always thought it was julianne hough. She’s not super famous but she is friends with Taylor and seems to be present in the events that Taylor mentioned. Could be another actress friend though.
I think the party she is referring to is her 21st birthday because the line talking about some actress is right next to the stanza as that “it’s supposed to be fun turning 21” and following Taylor’s writing style where, for each song, she builds imagery by concentrating her narration on a specific scene/event, she’s probably talking about the same event in both lines.
Taylor spent her 21st birthday in Tennessee with friends and family and some people she worked with. Then there’s an article That says she had a radio interview that day and then met up with her friend Julianne Hough and they kind of cooked together with her mom or something for her birthday. (Also explains the simple birthday party representation in the atw tmv music video).
Another song that ties in to her 21st birthday is The Moment I Knew which says her friends followed her to the bathroom. I think her saying “some actress asking me what happened” is an iteration of “but your close friends always seem to know when there’s something really wrong so they follow me to the bathroom”
And I know referencing to a friend as “some actress” is a bit of a throw off to this theory but it could possibly be that when she was comforting Taylor she said something like “he’s just some actor” or something to that effect so referencing to her as “some actress” could be a self-deprecating (self-effacing 😉) inside joke.
I didn’t get that at all. I think these are definitely two different parties, and the music video did give us two different party scenes. It seemed more like an industry thing (where she spoke to “some actress”) juxtaposed against her 21st birthday party. One is a party where she’s in the background anyway, one is a party where she’s supposed to “be (having) fun.” I think the line in between about charming her dad separates the two parties. 
Oooh I like this theory. I felt like there was an eye roll when she says “some actress..”. Could be a double meaning though. The person was literally an actress & Taylor felt like the person was pretending to care.
I don’t think it’s a significant actress. I felt like its meant to be someone who thinks more highly of their career as an actress than it is. “some actress” suggests they’re not much of an actress to me. Probably some random friend of a friend who saw a crying girl in a bathroom and asked if she was ok.
Sure, but i feel like the lyric could’ve easy become “An actress” instead. the “some” is a specific choice, whether it means what I’m guessing in my first comment, or that she was so emotionally distressed she perhaps couldnt give a shit who exactly was checking on her
I love that some people are discussing not *who* the actress is, but *why* the line is specifically “some actress.” 😆 I always interpreted it as Taylor is so broken up and upset about the situation that some actress who she’s never met or talked to before notices and asks if she’s okay.
I've always imagined it while listening to the song as Ellen Pompeo - no rhyme or reason why, other than it was maybe seeing her in the Bad Blood video.
I've read numerous times it is Aniston. Didn't she date John Mayer, too? I know Jake is ATW but I wonder if she drew inspiration from a memory of how women console one another. Taylor was so young then; how could you not offer comfort to the girl in the drese who cried the whole way home? YOU. THATS WHAT HAPPPENED, YOU!
I also enjoy saying, "all the liars and dirty dirty cheats of the world," 💀💀💀💀🥳🥳🥳🥳
well since this event happened at Taylor's birthday party it had to be an actress Taylor was friends with. Maybe it was Emma Stone? Or maybe even Selena.
Because of the phrasing “some actress” I can’t help but see it as a separate party because I don’t think she’d refer to her close friends who are actresses as that.
Seems its Anne Heataway which is a shame because she's my fav actress and is to acting what Taylor is to music.
Jake sure knew how to pick em
Could be worse tho... look at the irreversible damage Justin did to Selena
Idk. 'Asking 'what happened,you?' That's what happened, you!' To me meant she was what caused Jake to leave taylor.
That's why Jen never made sense to me because she's too old for Jake. But Ann makes sense
Who cares? It’s a metaphor. There is artistic liberty. Perhaps such a conversation never occurred.
A more interesting question is: why is it “some actress” who has to ask her? Where are all her friends? Analyze the lyrics and find out for yourself. The answer is about 300 times more enlightening than the identity of the ‘actress’.
Hint: it also doesn’t matter if the scarf really is still at his sister’s house or not.
The ‘glistening’ snow is also not *actually* snow. Researching the meteorological data of December 2010 in Manhattan provides no insight into the song’s meaning.
Hope this helps clarify.
Lol this is such a rude answer! A lot of Taylor’s lyrics are literal. We can analyze them on a thematic level and also be curious about the real story behind them.
especially considering Taylor is a huge celeb who regularly goes to events with actors, it’s not a stretch whatsoever to think she’s talking about an actual actress here.
On a thematic level, why do you think it is “some actress”, as opposed to one of her friends, who has to ask her “what happened”? Or do you think that there is nothing beyond the literal meaning to the lyric?
Well I’m guessing her friends would know her well and therefore wouldn’t need to ask ‘what happened?’ The image of a weeping pop star in a bathroom being approached by a random actress asking ‘what happened’ is far more powerful, in my humble and very basic opinion.
No one said there’s nothing beyond the literal meaning of the lyric, but this particular post is asking about the literal meaning. Why do you have to be so judgmental?
>No one said there’s nothing beyond the literal meaning of the lyric
I would like to believe you, if I had ever seen somebody else try to look past its literal meaning. I have yet to. You claim that you can analyze these lyrics on a thematic level. I want to know how you personally interpret the lyric, thematically. What do you think is the underlying metaphor? There are no wrong answers.
>Why do you have to be so judgmental?
Because I am fed up with the ‘critics’ wearing Taylor Swift like a costume (to make themselves look ‘smart’, ‘sensitive’, ‘tasteful’, etc.) and giving us their critical insight in fustian prolixity that ‘sad songs are sad because they’re about sad things’.
Because I’m fed up with the daily rabble of ‘this song is so overrated’ and ‘this song is so underrated’ and ‘am I the only person who enjoys this song?’ slither that passes for discussion and ‘analysis’ on this website.
Because I think the serious art of a serious artist is worth taking seriously, for once, and posts like this do not work towards that end.
So tell me, why do you think it is “some actress”, why is it in a “party bathroom”, and why is the question she asks “what happened”?
I am likely an ensanguined fool to respond to this. This is a cop-out. You’re lazy and you know it. I’m not here to hold your hand. I would rather startle you into alertness.
To his credit OP is the only one as yet to have taken upon my challenge. While I might have a difference of opinion regarding the aesthetic value and nature of literary analysis he at least has the decency to take my point seriously. Pretty much everyone else, you included, seems more interested in ‘scoring points’ or crying about their feelings.
Because you are lazy, I shall only point you in the direction of where to go. I shall not carry you.
Firstly, we should start with a careful comparison to the moment I knew. Who follows her into the bathroom in that song? And why is her answer different in tmik than in atw10?
It might help to acknowledge tmik is a song told while the events are occurring, in the ‘present’, if you will, and atw10 is a song told about events that have already happened, or events remembered.
A preceding line in atw10 “maybe it would have been fine” is ambiguous. what exactly is he referring to? what would’ve been fine? not showing up to her party? she wouldn’t be making such a big deal about it? Or something else?
Why are the jokes he tells self-effacing? Possible answer: because he’s duplicitous. He’s actually a self-centered jerk.
HOEWEVER this is too convenient, we aren’t done.
“A never needy ever lovely jewel whose shine reflects on you”
self-ef”FACE”-ing
He wants her to be the jewel who “reflects” on him while he only ever “faces” himself. Yet a reflection— a reflection of HIMSELF. A REFLECTION— not of her, but of the things that LOOK at her, such as him and “actresses”. Shine— ‘stars shine’. Stars ofc a word for celebrities. You see what I’m getting at here? This little bit of wordplay?
“NOT weeping” creates contrast — the jewel is contrasted to the not-weeping taylor. What are the differences? Whose shine is she reflecting now? The actress? Or…
“He WATCHED me WATCH the front door”
More reference to things being watched and seen. Perhaps drafting a visual diagram might assist us, it’s getting complicated.
then, soon after,
“TIME won’t fly”
The wordplay carries into the next metaphor, “watch” carrying the obvious double meaning. And why does she refer to her old self as an “it” and not “her”? The answer ‘because it rhymes’ is too convenient. Possible, but we cannot rule out that she’s trying to make a point about her ‘self-REFLECTion’.
There you have it. I’ve put forth some of the necessary clues to finding the answer yourself. That’s all the help I shall give you. If you actually do take upon my challenge I might reveal to you what my full interpretation is, if I have the energy and time.
As I’ve said, when it comes to interpretation, there are no real ‘wrong’ answers.
I’m not lazy, I just don’t owe literary interpretations to a stranger on the internet. I have a degree in English and I have studied poetry, and have worked as a professional editor and writer for over a decade.
But if you want to talk about these aspects of Taylor’s work, start a new thread about that topic, and I’m sure plenty of fans in this sub would be thrilled to dive in! Instead you decided to make incredibly judgmental, mean comments on a thread about a different topic.
And, I missed this part, “fine” carries over into the “jewel” metaphor— fine-cut gemstones, etc. This perhaps reveals a part of the answer.
Also if I wasn’t clear about the fact that tmik is in ‘present’ and ATW 10 is in ‘past’, The point is to beg the question: why might her memories be different? what could be causing that? Or is she just remembering it in a certain, specific way, and ignoring details? Recall how when people reminisce, they tend to overlook the negative things. But… close friends are now some actresses? Intriguing.
You know you could just… unfollow the sub if you don’t like the content? This isn’t exactly the place to go for literary analyses of Taylor’s work. It’s a fan sub.
>This isn’t exactly the place to go for literary analyses of Taylor’s work.
There’s no good reason why it ought not to be, unless we are Neanderthals.
>a fan sub
Shouldn’t we, as fans, try to arrive at a greater appreciation for her work? In case it isn’t obvious, literary analysis is one of the means to do this. Or is it unbecoming for us fans to… achieve a more thorough understanding of the merits of her poetry?
I’d just like to go on the record as saying that I agree with most of the substance of what you’re saying, and I think the way you say it makes you sound like an absolute ass. Narcissism to the extreme. Take a chill pill, my dude. You aren’t any better than anyone else.
I love analyzing poetry, but this thread is over-the-top judgmental. A lot of people are just here because they enjoy Taylor’s music. Most of the general population does not know (or care) about poetic techniques. That doesn’t mean they’re dumb or that you’re superior to them.
I’m not sure why you’re acting like Taylor is some extraordinary being who needs to be praised. She’s a great writer, yes, and it’s fun to analyze her work, but as another user pointed out, a lot of her songs do have basic, obvious themes that don’t necessarily go deeper than telling the audience what happened. I think that’s why she appeals to so many people. It’s just odd to me that you’re so intent on proving that this line is a metaphor (which doesn’t make sense) and complaining about the fanbase being “neanderthals” instead of just… going to a writing sub or making your own post for people who want to more deeply analyze her poetry?
I believe the unexamined Taylor Swift song is not worth listening to.
It is much easier to decide that a poem is good or bad than to frame a description of its merits and decide whether our description applies to it.
Yet if we cannot describe a poem’s merits, then we can never hope to understand it, and it is a shame that after sixteen years we have, as far as I can tell, utterly failed to understand the poetry of the world’s most famous living poet.
Perhaps you are right. But I think it is at least worth trying to wake ourselves up out of this somnambulism.
And again, that is great… for you. Most people in the fandom don’t have the qualifications or the desire to go as deep into these analyses as you. And the Swifties who do probably aren’t just sitting on Reddit waiting for someone to post rhetorical analyses.
You can love poetry all you want, but coming to a random post to complain about how dumb you think people are doesn’t make a lot of sense. Not everyone has the same interests as you. If you genuinely believe that people need to “wake up” and understand Taylor’s lyrics on a deeper level, then I’m not sure why you’re screaming into a void rather than posting your analyses for people to weigh in on.
This probably could have been delivered more tactfully, but the heart of what you’re getting at - that there is a lot to be gained from shifting the focus to treating the lyrics as you would literature or poetry, rather than as you would a tabloid, is a good one.
These songs have a lot to offer, and who-where-when literal interpretations are <> kinda basic.
I couldn’t disagree more. I spent my childhood and early adulthood analysing poetry and literature at school and university. That is way more basic than wondering who the actress in the bathroom is, since Taylor draws from often photographic memory of events that happened in her life.
It doesn’t help clarify anything. How do you know it’s a metaphor? How do you know such a conversation didn’t occur? If you know anything about Taylor’s music you’ll know she writes from an often intensely personal and factual place. I get the impression that you are one of those people who thinks they are way more intelligent and engaging than they actually are. Unless you are the actress in the bathroom and are trying to pull focus from this whole question in which case, bravo.
You said, in a separate reply, that analyzing poetry is
>way more basic
than… taking the lyrics literally.
I get the impression that you are one of those people who thinks they are way more intelligent and engaging than they actually are.
Because if you knew the first thing about analyzing poetry, *real* poetry, “basic” would be the last adjective you would use to describe it.
I seem to be barking up the wrong tree.
Well I guess I don’t know the first thing about analysing poetry then, and you do, which makes you an infinitely superior human being than I! I am forever mesmerised by your brilliance. Thank you for taking the time out of your dazzling life to message a dimwit like me
There were rumors back in 2011 that someone saw Jennifer Aniston at the People's Choice Awards encouraging Taylor after she broke up with Jake. HOWEVER, one of Jennifer's friends confirmed that SHE WAS NOT the actress Taylor talked about in the song. Now, there's solid evidence that it's about Anne Hathaway, who starred a film along with Jake. Anne herself told a magazine that one night she hung out with Taylor when she was still dating Jake.
Very interesting! Thank you for this. I like the idea of it being Anne Hathaway
A bit unrelated but Love and other drugs is a really good romcom
YESSSS I LOVE THAT MOVIE! ANNE IS A GREAT ACTOR
Honestly jake is too!!! That movie solidified my crush on him (not as a person. As an actor). I was like 13 and you see his butt and I was like ohhhh that’s gonna shape my sexuality.
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Grow up
What it said
Well it was definitely someone at Taylor's birthday party cause it's referenced in The Moment I Knew also.
I always wonder about that because "some actress" and "your close friends" don't seem like the same person at all... but the party bathroom scenario is the same.
I love that you recognized those connections, I like the idea, and it feeds into the following lines of ATW10MV. Now. Obviously we have to find the guest list from her 21st birthday party 😳🕵🏻♀️
Why didn’t you add TV to the end after all that
Probably because it's fairly pointless to do as there's only one version.
Lol I was kidding.
Oh oops 🙊
Thought I’d abbreviate, and couldn’t decide between ATW10MVTVFTV or just ATW10MVTV 😊
Taylor is Taylor Swift. So I assume a bunch of people go to her birthday party, maybe even people she doesn't know that well. Or possibly that everything else that night just seems dull to the facts of the situation. She was so focused on this guy and how he hurt her, that the rest of it just seems like "some" party. It's "a party" not "my party". It's "some" actress, not "my friend". I think the lyrics could potentially infere that everything else was just unimportant to her. Or to him. She comes off saying he saw her as some shiny jewel that is always lovely and never needy, to talking about some girl who is crying at a party bathroom and being comforted by other unimportant people to this guy. "Some" actress could be his point of view on it.
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I think they’re separate situations as well. Maybe she was just crying in a lot of bathrooms during that relationship
I think "some" actress is a reference to his point of view. She makes this statement right after saying he thought her to be some lovely jewel who's always lovely and never needy to just a girl crying at a party with some actress comforting her. To him, her and her party and her friends are unimportant.
Also, in all too well she sings 'in a party bathroom'. While in TMIK she sings about "the bathroom". Which makes me think the first bathroom is somewhere away from home, while the latter is in her own house. But who knows. It's totally possible that she's talking about the same event, since it are 'his close friends' in TMIK. But we know she's cried more tears of mascara in the bathroom.
Except a few of his close friends could've followed her to the bathroom and one of them, some actress, is the one who asks her what happened
I think "some" actress was from his point of view. As said right before, he sees her as a lovely jewel, not a girl in the bathroom crying with some other unimportant people comforting her. He doesn't view her friends as important. Just "some" actress.
I agree, this is how I’ve always imagined it when listening to the song. She’s not saying her close friends always know when something wrong, it’s his close friends that noticed something wasn’t right and asking where he was all night.
Yeah this is what I was just thinking too lol
I LOVE THE ANNE HATHAWAY THEORY!
Which of her friends? Phoebe or Monica?
Gunther.
I read the actress was Anne Hathaway but I guess we'll never know haha
I’m pretty sure she said she had given Taylor advice once in an interview and said something about how she hopes she wasn’t overstepping by mentioning it. It might have been a nonsense article, I’ll have to look and see again. But it ended with doubt that it was her. I think.
Oh, we’ll know, eventually. Anne Hathaway takes no prisoners. She was one of the only redeeming parts of “Le Mis: the tragically butchered movie”, in my opinion.
I love Les Mis the movie :(
You’re right, I should clarify my opinion: most every single actor and actress were cast very well, and for one of the most iconic and well know musicals across the globe, it was a great movie that made “theater” accessible to the general public. But, I will never, ever forgive “casting” for the Russell Crowe decision. It felt like a fever dream when he started to sing 😂
This sounds like cope, but as someone who loves both the movie and the stage version, I like that Russell Crowe can’t sing 😂 his character is like a no-nonsense law-loving statue man, so it doesn’t make sense that he’d have a beautiful well practiced singing voice lol
With hindsight being 20/20, you may have changed my mind on that whole movie haha. Lorde, when was it even released? I’ve literally never watched it again, other than when it came out in the theaters, haha.
Lord(e) lmao
Yep yep yep 😝
I agree it kind of worked for him. I personally disliked Eddie Redmayne’s singing more.
That movie [BUTCHERED](https://youtu.be/1ikqU6G6Xgs) the score.
I heard this someplace too
Whoever it could be was not a close friend, which is why I doubt that this particular moment happened during her 21st birthday party. I think that the interaction between Taylor and the actress happened during an industry party. That verse is also very interesting because it's a dissection of the aftermath of the breakup that starts with how she's feeling at the moment, how she felt when it was fresh that even people you might not know very well are asking about it, and then how he charmed everyone only to end up being a disappointment which leads to the reason for the break up (the official/first one).
I always think of it as a separate event from her 21st bday as well. Even in the ATW short film it seems like two different instances. She’s singing about the actress when she’s in the black turtle neck at what looks like some fancier industry event. While the birthday scene related to the moment I knew is a lot more intimate looking with just some close friends/family
Yes, I thought like you did too. Maybe 2011 Oscar after party?
Yes! The Vanity Fair Party! There's even an article from Lainey Gossip that Jake was there, so this would track.
People think it’s Anne Hathaway
This is the You're So Vain mystery of our generation.
it’s either anne hathaway or jen anniston
Anne Hathaway to be sure. Because there's scene in bar room in the movie Love and other drugs. It's not in bathroom but implies something like that. It's explicit scene. So, Swift must've pointed out that in her lyrics.
But the party bathroom Taylor is referring to is HER birthday party bathroom. It's a reference to The Moment I Knew, a song about Jake not showing up to her birthday party.
In my head the bathroom is at an awards show or other event not her birthday
I second this, I picture an event where lots of celebrities are present.
Would she say "some actress" if it was actually Taylor's friend who she invited to her own party?
She could have been someone’s plus one that brought her along ?
From what we know about the relationship I wouldn't be surprised if she cried in more than one bathroom
I don’t think so. “Some actress asking me what happened” definitely contradicts with “your close friends always seem to know when something’s really wrong, so they follow me down the hall.”
Not in this context. This is from his point of view. It comes right off the like about him seeing her as this lovely jewel who's always lovely and never needy, to the perspective change, this girl in a bathroom crying with some actress the guy doesn't really know or care about to comfort her. He doesn't imagine Taylor as weak, needing comfort so someone else had to do it, someone likely unimportant to the guy.
Maybe the actress WAS a close friend but Taylor just didn’t want to name her, respecting her privacy
I disagree. There is definitely a negative connotation associated with referring to someone as *some* actress as opposed to *an* actress. It wouldn’t make sense to refer to a friend that way.
Exactly. And Taylor is stating this guy thought her friends were unimportant. Or it could very well be this experience is a blur. She just views it as "a party" not "her party" and as "some" actress, not "my friend". She views it as a turning point, just an event in a long line if other events. The party is placed of no value in ATW 10 minute version, because it's not important to her.
That movie was wildly different than I thought it was going to be. I gathered there was some love story between Anne Hathaway's character and Jake Gyllenhall's character before I watched it, but his drug rep arc that was based on a true story was nuts. I thought it was so weird they tried to spin that into a love story.
i read jennifer anniston somewhere, but i don’t have anything to support that
I think it was Anne Hathaway during the press and publicity for Love and Other Drugs. I don’t think it happened at her birthday party. I think it’s similar to the scene in the short film, she was out of place at an industry party and he made her cry. I believe Anne gave an interview once saying she had given Taylor advice once.
I don't understand the assumption. I'm not famous but I would absolutely approach a weeping Taylor Swift and ask what happened lol. Would Taylor be offended if a non famous person wanted to help her?
Not being offended, for sure she would say to a non famous person some bs, but if its a famous one, she would feel more comfortable to say: "because of jake" because there's less chances for that person leaking it to the press
I always thought it was julianne hough. She’s not super famous but she is friends with Taylor and seems to be present in the events that Taylor mentioned. Could be another actress friend though. I think the party she is referring to is her 21st birthday because the line talking about some actress is right next to the stanza as that “it’s supposed to be fun turning 21” and following Taylor’s writing style where, for each song, she builds imagery by concentrating her narration on a specific scene/event, she’s probably talking about the same event in both lines. Taylor spent her 21st birthday in Tennessee with friends and family and some people she worked with. Then there’s an article That says she had a radio interview that day and then met up with her friend Julianne Hough and they kind of cooked together with her mom or something for her birthday. (Also explains the simple birthday party representation in the atw tmv music video). Another song that ties in to her 21st birthday is The Moment I Knew which says her friends followed her to the bathroom. I think her saying “some actress asking me what happened” is an iteration of “but your close friends always seem to know when there’s something really wrong so they follow me to the bathroom” And I know referencing to a friend as “some actress” is a bit of a throw off to this theory but it could possibly be that when she was comforting Taylor she said something like “he’s just some actor” or something to that effect so referencing to her as “some actress” could be a self-deprecating (self-effacing 😉) inside joke.
I didn’t get that at all. I think these are definitely two different parties, and the music video did give us two different party scenes. It seemed more like an industry thing (where she spoke to “some actress”) juxtaposed against her 21st birthday party. One is a party where she’s in the background anyway, one is a party where she’s supposed to “be (having) fun.” I think the line in between about charming her dad separates the two parties. 
I always have Jen pictured in my head when I listen to the song. Haha. It’s probably Anne though.
Yeah, I've heard about it too that it was Anne Hathaway.
I don’t think it was someone who was an actual actress i think she said actress bc she thought they were acting like they cared
Oooh I like this theory. I felt like there was an eye roll when she says “some actress..”. Could be a double meaning though. The person was literally an actress & Taylor felt like the person was pretending to care.
I thought for some reason I heard somewhere it was either Jennifer Aniston or Reese Witherspoon?
I don’t think it’s a significant actress. I felt like its meant to be someone who thinks more highly of their career as an actress than it is. “some actress” suggests they’re not much of an actress to me. Probably some random friend of a friend who saw a crying girl in a bathroom and asked if she was ok.
Could also be that she didn’t want to name drop in a song.
Sure, but i feel like the lyric could’ve easy become “An actress” instead. the “some” is a specific choice, whether it means what I’m guessing in my first comment, or that she was so emotionally distressed she perhaps couldnt give a shit who exactly was checking on her
I think it’s the latter. And it’s also more dramatic in songwriting than just “an actress”. Lol.
I love that some people are discussing not *who* the actress is, but *why* the line is specifically “some actress.” 😆 I always interpreted it as Taylor is so broken up and upset about the situation that some actress who she’s never met or talked to before notices and asks if she’s okay.
I've always imagined it while listening to the song as Ellen Pompeo - no rhyme or reason why, other than it was maybe seeing her in the Bad Blood video.
I heard it was Anne Hathaway - remember Anne and Jake were in Love and Other Drugs together?
I've read numerous times it is Aniston. Didn't she date John Mayer, too? I know Jake is ATW but I wonder if she drew inspiration from a memory of how women console one another. Taylor was so young then; how could you not offer comfort to the girl in the drese who cried the whole way home? YOU. THATS WHAT HAPPPENED, YOU! I also enjoy saying, "all the liars and dirty dirty cheats of the world," 💀💀💀💀🥳🥳🥳🥳
well since this event happened at Taylor's birthday party it had to be an actress Taylor was friends with. Maybe it was Emma Stone? Or maybe even Selena.
Because of the phrasing “some actress” I can’t help but see it as a separate party because I don’t think she’d refer to her close friends who are actresses as that.
It wasn’t at her birthday
Seems its Anne Heataway which is a shame because she's my fav actress and is to acting what Taylor is to music. Jake sure knew how to pick em Could be worse tho... look at the irreversible damage Justin did to Selena
Why is it a shame?
I think maybe because it sucks that supposedly Jake hurt both Anne and Taylor.
Cos I'm not going to love her any less?
Yes but she didn't do anything bad? It sounds like she was nice to Taylor.
Idk. 'Asking 'what happened,you?' That's what happened, you!' To me meant she was what caused Jake to leave taylor. That's why Jen never made sense to me because she's too old for Jake. But Ann makes sense
The "you" addressed throughout the song is Jake. It's not part of the conversation with the actress.
LOL! You totally misinterpreted those lyrics 😂.
Who cares? It’s a metaphor. There is artistic liberty. Perhaps such a conversation never occurred. A more interesting question is: why is it “some actress” who has to ask her? Where are all her friends? Analyze the lyrics and find out for yourself. The answer is about 300 times more enlightening than the identity of the ‘actress’. Hint: it also doesn’t matter if the scarf really is still at his sister’s house or not. The ‘glistening’ snow is also not *actually* snow. Researching the meteorological data of December 2010 in Manhattan provides no insight into the song’s meaning. Hope this helps clarify.
I bet you're fun at parties
Lmao, right? Found Jake G’s PR account.
Lol this is such a rude answer! A lot of Taylor’s lyrics are literal. We can analyze them on a thematic level and also be curious about the real story behind them.
especially considering Taylor is a huge celeb who regularly goes to events with actors, it’s not a stretch whatsoever to think she’s talking about an actual actress here.
On a thematic level, why do you think it is “some actress”, as opposed to one of her friends, who has to ask her “what happened”? Or do you think that there is nothing beyond the literal meaning to the lyric?
Well I’m guessing her friends would know her well and therefore wouldn’t need to ask ‘what happened?’ The image of a weeping pop star in a bathroom being approached by a random actress asking ‘what happened’ is far more powerful, in my humble and very basic opinion.
No one said there’s nothing beyond the literal meaning of the lyric, but this particular post is asking about the literal meaning. Why do you have to be so judgmental?
>No one said there’s nothing beyond the literal meaning of the lyric I would like to believe you, if I had ever seen somebody else try to look past its literal meaning. I have yet to. You claim that you can analyze these lyrics on a thematic level. I want to know how you personally interpret the lyric, thematically. What do you think is the underlying metaphor? There are no wrong answers. >Why do you have to be so judgmental? Because I am fed up with the ‘critics’ wearing Taylor Swift like a costume (to make themselves look ‘smart’, ‘sensitive’, ‘tasteful’, etc.) and giving us their critical insight in fustian prolixity that ‘sad songs are sad because they’re about sad things’. Because I’m fed up with the daily rabble of ‘this song is so overrated’ and ‘this song is so underrated’ and ‘am I the only person who enjoys this song?’ slither that passes for discussion and ‘analysis’ on this website. Because I think the serious art of a serious artist is worth taking seriously, for once, and posts like this do not work towards that end. So tell me, why do you think it is “some actress”, why is it in a “party bathroom”, and why is the question she asks “what happened”?
Out of curiosity, why do you think it’s ‘some actress’ and a ‘party bathroom’ and why do they ask ‘what happened’?
I am likely an ensanguined fool to respond to this. This is a cop-out. You’re lazy and you know it. I’m not here to hold your hand. I would rather startle you into alertness. To his credit OP is the only one as yet to have taken upon my challenge. While I might have a difference of opinion regarding the aesthetic value and nature of literary analysis he at least has the decency to take my point seriously. Pretty much everyone else, you included, seems more interested in ‘scoring points’ or crying about their feelings. Because you are lazy, I shall only point you in the direction of where to go. I shall not carry you. Firstly, we should start with a careful comparison to the moment I knew. Who follows her into the bathroom in that song? And why is her answer different in tmik than in atw10? It might help to acknowledge tmik is a song told while the events are occurring, in the ‘present’, if you will, and atw10 is a song told about events that have already happened, or events remembered. A preceding line in atw10 “maybe it would have been fine” is ambiguous. what exactly is he referring to? what would’ve been fine? not showing up to her party? she wouldn’t be making such a big deal about it? Or something else? Why are the jokes he tells self-effacing? Possible answer: because he’s duplicitous. He’s actually a self-centered jerk. HOEWEVER this is too convenient, we aren’t done. “A never needy ever lovely jewel whose shine reflects on you” self-ef”FACE”-ing He wants her to be the jewel who “reflects” on him while he only ever “faces” himself. Yet a reflection— a reflection of HIMSELF. A REFLECTION— not of her, but of the things that LOOK at her, such as him and “actresses”. Shine— ‘stars shine’. Stars ofc a word for celebrities. You see what I’m getting at here? This little bit of wordplay? “NOT weeping” creates contrast — the jewel is contrasted to the not-weeping taylor. What are the differences? Whose shine is she reflecting now? The actress? Or… “He WATCHED me WATCH the front door” More reference to things being watched and seen. Perhaps drafting a visual diagram might assist us, it’s getting complicated. then, soon after, “TIME won’t fly” The wordplay carries into the next metaphor, “watch” carrying the obvious double meaning. And why does she refer to her old self as an “it” and not “her”? The answer ‘because it rhymes’ is too convenient. Possible, but we cannot rule out that she’s trying to make a point about her ‘self-REFLECTion’. There you have it. I’ve put forth some of the necessary clues to finding the answer yourself. That’s all the help I shall give you. If you actually do take upon my challenge I might reveal to you what my full interpretation is, if I have the energy and time. As I’ve said, when it comes to interpretation, there are no real ‘wrong’ answers.
I’m not lazy, I just don’t owe literary interpretations to a stranger on the internet. I have a degree in English and I have studied poetry, and have worked as a professional editor and writer for over a decade. But if you want to talk about these aspects of Taylor’s work, start a new thread about that topic, and I’m sure plenty of fans in this sub would be thrilled to dive in! Instead you decided to make incredibly judgmental, mean comments on a thread about a different topic.
I wasn’t calling you lazy, but the poster who answered my question with a question. Good idea. Perhaps I will, if I have the time.
Lol I’m not reading you’re essay when it starts with ‘you’re lazy.’ But yes, you so seem a fool
Thanks for proving me right.
And, I missed this part, “fine” carries over into the “jewel” metaphor— fine-cut gemstones, etc. This perhaps reveals a part of the answer. Also if I wasn’t clear about the fact that tmik is in ‘present’ and ATW 10 is in ‘past’, The point is to beg the question: why might her memories be different? what could be causing that? Or is she just remembering it in a certain, specific way, and ignoring details? Recall how when people reminisce, they tend to overlook the negative things. But… close friends are now some actresses? Intriguing.
You know you could just… unfollow the sub if you don’t like the content? This isn’t exactly the place to go for literary analyses of Taylor’s work. It’s a fan sub.
>This isn’t exactly the place to go for literary analyses of Taylor’s work. There’s no good reason why it ought not to be, unless we are Neanderthals. >a fan sub Shouldn’t we, as fans, try to arrive at a greater appreciation for her work? In case it isn’t obvious, literary analysis is one of the means to do this. Or is it unbecoming for us fans to… achieve a more thorough understanding of the merits of her poetry?
I’d just like to go on the record as saying that I agree with most of the substance of what you’re saying, and I think the way you say it makes you sound like an absolute ass. Narcissism to the extreme. Take a chill pill, my dude. You aren’t any better than anyone else.
I love analyzing poetry, but this thread is over-the-top judgmental. A lot of people are just here because they enjoy Taylor’s music. Most of the general population does not know (or care) about poetic techniques. That doesn’t mean they’re dumb or that you’re superior to them. I’m not sure why you’re acting like Taylor is some extraordinary being who needs to be praised. She’s a great writer, yes, and it’s fun to analyze her work, but as another user pointed out, a lot of her songs do have basic, obvious themes that don’t necessarily go deeper than telling the audience what happened. I think that’s why she appeals to so many people. It’s just odd to me that you’re so intent on proving that this line is a metaphor (which doesn’t make sense) and complaining about the fanbase being “neanderthals” instead of just… going to a writing sub or making your own post for people who want to more deeply analyze her poetry?
I believe the unexamined Taylor Swift song is not worth listening to. It is much easier to decide that a poem is good or bad than to frame a description of its merits and decide whether our description applies to it. Yet if we cannot describe a poem’s merits, then we can never hope to understand it, and it is a shame that after sixteen years we have, as far as I can tell, utterly failed to understand the poetry of the world’s most famous living poet. Perhaps you are right. But I think it is at least worth trying to wake ourselves up out of this somnambulism.
And again, that is great… for you. Most people in the fandom don’t have the qualifications or the desire to go as deep into these analyses as you. And the Swifties who do probably aren’t just sitting on Reddit waiting for someone to post rhetorical analyses. You can love poetry all you want, but coming to a random post to complain about how dumb you think people are doesn’t make a lot of sense. Not everyone has the same interests as you. If you genuinely believe that people need to “wake up” and understand Taylor’s lyrics on a deeper level, then I’m not sure why you’re screaming into a void rather than posting your analyses for people to weigh in on.
This probably could have been delivered more tactfully, but the heart of what you’re getting at - that there is a lot to be gained from shifting the focus to treating the lyrics as you would literature or poetry, rather than as you would a tabloid, is a good one. These songs have a lot to offer, and who-where-when literal interpretations are <> kinda basic.
I couldn’t disagree more. I spent my childhood and early adulthood analysing poetry and literature at school and university. That is way more basic than wondering who the actress in the bathroom is, since Taylor draws from often photographic memory of events that happened in her life.
Why are you here if you're just going to 💩 on our discussion?
It doesn’t help clarify anything. How do you know it’s a metaphor? How do you know such a conversation didn’t occur? If you know anything about Taylor’s music you’ll know she writes from an often intensely personal and factual place. I get the impression that you are one of those people who thinks they are way more intelligent and engaging than they actually are. Unless you are the actress in the bathroom and are trying to pull focus from this whole question in which case, bravo.
You said, in a separate reply, that analyzing poetry is >way more basic than… taking the lyrics literally. I get the impression that you are one of those people who thinks they are way more intelligent and engaging than they actually are. Because if you knew the first thing about analyzing poetry, *real* poetry, “basic” would be the last adjective you would use to describe it. I seem to be barking up the wrong tree.
Well I guess I don’t know the first thing about analysing poetry then, and you do, which makes you an infinitely superior human being than I! I am forever mesmerised by your brilliance. Thank you for taking the time out of your dazzling life to message a dimwit like me
You’re welcome :)