The 'Argylle' director's daughter thought Taylor Swift wrote the book

Many fans think Taylor Swift is the ghostwriter behind the novel that inspired the upcoming film Argylle – and director Matthew Vaughn's daughter is one of them.

“I'm not a big Internet guy, and it was actually my daughter who came up to me — this is the power of celebrity and the Internet — and said, 'You never told me Taylor wrote the book!'” Vaughn, 52, told Rolling stone in an interview published on Tuesday, January 16. “And I see her saying, 'What are you talking about that Taylor Swift wrote the book? She didn't write the book!' And I laughed because I thought, 'It's not true! She didn't write the book!' But my daughter was convinced.”

Argyllewhich hits theaters on Friday, February 2, and stars Bryce Dallas Howard And Henry Cavill, follows reclusive author Elly Conway (Howard) as she writes best-selling spy novels about a secret agent named Argylle (Cavill), who is on a mission to unravel a global spy syndicate. Things change when the plots of her books begin to mirror the covert actions of a real-life spy organization.

The film is inspired by a recently published novel of the same name, written by an author under the pseudonym Elly Conway. The author's true identity has remained a mystery since Apple bought the film rights for a reported $200 million in August 2021, with Jason Fuchs adapting the novel into a script.

Pseudonymous authors are not unheard of, but the small amount of information known about Conway has led to conspiracy theories about who is actually behind the story. Swift, 34, became a primary candidate in recent months for several reasons.

In addition to Swift's love of argyle sweaters, the pop star has a history of using fake names for some of her projects. In 2016 she was co-author by Rihanna “This is what you came for” with now-ex Calvin Harris under the pseudonym Nils Sjöberg. About her 2020 release Alwaysshe wrote to her then-boyfriend Joe Alwyn for three songs under the assumed name William Bowery. (Alwyn, 32, also wrote the song “Sweet Nothing” from her 2022 record, Midnights.)

Despite the clues, Vaughn insists Swift is not the secret author of Argylle – but he appreciates the research skills of Swift fans everywhere.

“There's a real book… and it's a very good book,” Vaughn explained. “And there's an Elly Conway who wrote the book, but it's not Taylor Swift. And I say that because I imagine Taylor Swift has a lot of people trying to jump on her bandwagon left, right and centre. I don't want to be part of that club. I read the conspiracies and thought, “Wow, they're leaving no stone unturned!” But it's not Taylor Swift. She definitely didn't write the book.”

That doesn't mean Vaughn hasn't drawn inspiration from Swift in other areas. Vaughn admitted that the Grammy winner is the reason a Scottish Fold cat appears in the film. Vaughn and his wife, Claudia Schifferadopted one after their daughters fell in love with Swift's Scottish Folds, Meredith Gray and Olivia Benson, while watching her 2020 Netflix documentary, Ms. Americana.

“Ironically, what [Taylor] responsible for the Scottish Fold,” Vaughn said. “I came home one day, it was Christmas, and I thought, 'What is that noise?' And I'm running around the house and I hear a noise, and the kids had seen a Taylor Swift documentary and there was a Scottish Fold in it, and they had talked my wife, Claudia, into buying the kitten for Christmas. It was purchased without my consent and hidden from me.”

While Swift may not be behind Argylle, her career has expanded beyond music and into other artistic ventures in recent years. In 2022, she made her directorial debut with All too good: the short film. She will also direct her first feature film with Searchlight Pictures, based on a script she wrote.

“Taylor is a once-in-a-generation artist and storyteller,” said Searchlight Chairman David Greenbaum and Matthew Greenfield shared in a December 2022 statement. “It is a real joy and privilege to work with her as she embarks on this exciting and new creative journey.”

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Swift, in turn, talked about the possible stories she hopes to discover during a screening of All too good at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2022.

“I think I will always want to tell human stories about human emotions. “I never say never, but I can't imagine filming an action scene,” she admitted. “If it happens one day, honestly, that will be some funny character growth, but at this point I could see it in a more comedic, irreverent place.”

While certain genres are off the table for now, that doesn't mean fans should assume they know what to expect from Swift's films. “I don't always see myself telling stories about extreme, sore throats at your most formative age that emotionally debilitates you for years and then you have to develop the scar tissue to get on with your life, and limp your way to your life.” typewriter and write a novel about it,” she said. “I think I did that.”