The music video includes footage from Elizabeth Taylor's films 'Cleopatra' and 'Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?'. However, it does not include any footage of Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor's co-star in those films whom she married twice. According to a source, Sally Burton, Richard Burton's fourth wife and widow, knows who refused to allow footage of Richard Burton in the video but is not prepared to comment publicly. Kate Burton, Richard Burton's daughter, declined to comment on the omission of Richard Burton from the video. The exact reason for omitting Richard Burton remains unclear, given his significant role in Elizabeth Taylor's life and career.
The video acknowledges the House of Taylor, the Elizabeth Taylor Trust, and the Todd and Wilding families. Elizabeth Taylor was married eight times. She had sons Michael and Christopher with her second husband Michael Wilding. Elizabeth Taylor was three months pregnant with her daughter Liza when she married her third husband Mike Todd in 1957. How the Elizabeth Taylor Trust and the Todd and Wilding families contributed to or approved the video's content is not specified.
I know who said no, but I'm not prepared to comment on that in public.
Fans have given mixed reviews to the music video. Taylor Swift has referenced Elizabeth Taylor in her music before. Taylor Swift described Elizabeth Taylor as someone she has looked up to and as a very glamorous, very beloved figure. The inspiration behind Taylor Swift's decision to create a video solely from archive footage rather than featuring herself is unknown.
In a memoir, Petula Clark recalled that Richard Burton pulled out of playing opposite her in 'Goodbye Mr Chips' because he disdained acting opposite a pop star rather than an actress. This context highlights Richard Burton's attitudes toward performers. How the broader Taylor and Burton family reacted privately to the video and its omissions has not been disclosed.
Burton, she recalls, was cast to play opposite her in Goodbye Mr Chips but pulled out – disdaining to play opposite a 'pop star' rather than an actress.
Taylor Swift's tribute to Elizabeth Taylor through this video underscores her admiration for the iconic actress, while the omission of Richard Burton raises questions about the creative and legal decisions behind the production. The use of archive footage provides a nostalgic look at Elizabeth Taylor's career, but leaves gaps in portraying her complex personal life.
Someone that I've looked up to... a very glamorous, very beloved figure.