Where Was Taylor Swift’s “The Fate Of Ophelia” Music Video Filmed?
It actually has a BTS connection.
Taylor Swift is pulling back the curtain with The Life of a Showgirl. In between Eras Tour shows in 2024, the 35-year-old singer recorded her 12th studio album with co-producers and songwriters Max Martin and Shellback, which was released on Friday, Oct. 3. On the same day her album dropped in stores, Swift’s music video for “The Fate of Ophelia” premiered in AMC theaters as part of her The Official Release Party of a Showgirl.
The part-movie, part-listening party not only included the video for Swift’s first single off TLOAS, but some behind-the-scenes footage and commentary for each track. Along with a few Travis Kelce Easter eggs, something I immediately clocked in my viewing of The Official Release Party of a Showgirl was the filming location for “The Fate of Ophelia.”
Taylor Swift 🤝 BTS
As a Swiftie and member of BTS’ ARMY, I noticed right away that part of Swift’s music video was shot at the Los Angeles Theatre. This historic landmark in Downtown Los Angeles, California, is also where the BTS members filmed their “Black Swan” music video in 2020.
Swift Shot Her Album Artwork At The Los Angeles Theatre, Too
The Los Angeles Theatre, located at 615 S Broadway, isn’t open to the public, but can be rented out for events. I actually got to check out the location in May 2024 (for an ARMY event), which was around the same time Swift was attempting to “woo” Martin and Shellback into the studio to work on The Life of a Showgirl.
When Swift announced Showgirl in August 2025 with the album artwork, I recognized some of the shots from “Black Swan”; for instance, the dressing room is where Jin’s solo scenes took place in the music video. Swift must have been working on the music video at the same time she took the album photography, because the opening scene features the lobby.
You can also see the actual theater in the lyric videos for “CANCELLED!” and “Eldest Daughter.”
The rest of the video was likely filmed on a soundstage to accommodate the larger sets, like the one inspired by Busby Berkeley’s films, but it all started at the Los Angeles Theatre.
If you’d like to visit “The Fate of Ophelia” location for yourself, it might be a bit difficult to go inside. However, events like Cinespia movie screenings have taken place at the Los Angeles Theatre. Swifties could also rent out the locations like ARMY did for a day, so they can live the life of showgirl for themselves.
