You may have heard of the 2024 movie Argylle, starring the likes of Henry Cavill, Dua Lipa, Samuel L. Jackson and Bryce Dallas Howard, but have you also heard about the wild fan theory linking the film to global superstar Taylor Swift?
Swifties have flooded social media to perpetuate a theory that the singer-songwriter is in fact the author behind the novel of the same name, which supposedly inspired the film.
As you might imagine, it’s a convoluted theory with many clues and links, so let’s break it down a little bit, shall we?
Who is Elly Conway, the author of Argylle and the protagonist in the film?
Elly Conway is a never-before-heard-of author whose debut novel was turned into a movie before it was even published – not exactly a common trajectory for a first time writer.
Though the author has an Instagram page (where she doesn’t post pictures of her face) and an author page on her publisher Penguin’s website, virtually nothing is known about her.
This has led to many commentators speculating that either: Conway isn’t real, and the book that has been released today is the book from the film, likely written by a ghost writer. Or, Conway is a pseudonym for a very famous person who would’ve been able to secure a movie deal on whatever they wrote.
Swift is currently the favourite for a whole host of reasons, which range from sort of credible to quite a reach, but other contenders including Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, who has published under a pen name in the past.
Why do people think Elly Conway is Taylor Swift?
Seemingly, the first person to talk about this theory is TikTok user @JessiSwiftTok, who shared her theory on 21st October 2023. In the video – which has received nearly 1 million views – she points to the cat backpack Conway wears, which appears in the trailer and on promotional artwork for the film, as something Swift herself often uses to carry around her own cats.
Another parallel between Conway, played by Bryce Dallas Howard, and Swift is their looks. As @JessiSwiftTok explains, at the end of Swift’s famous All Too Well short film, the star portrays herself as a redheaded author with a very similar appearance to that of Dallas Howard in the film.
Other clues include several pictures of Swift in the same bejewelled pattern used in the Argylle film posters, a picture of Swift on her tour in a Conway Studios jumper and lots of date synchronicities that are honestly beyond my comprehension as a casual Swiftie.
Will we ever know who Elly Conway really is?
It’s uncertain whether we will ever know the true identity behind Conway, but since she is supposedly going to write three more books in the Argylle series, this saga could extend far into the future.
While some contend that this Conway-Swift theory is actually a clever marketing ploy by the studio behind the movie, others believe the parallels between Conway and Swift are too glaring ignore.
Indeed, Swift has been known to use a pseudonym before – hello Nils Sjöberg – but so far the Cruel Summer singer hasn’t confirmed anything. One thing I’ll say is if it turns out to be J.K. again, we’re gonna be pissed!
Argylle is scheduled to release in cinemas worldwide on 2nd February.