‘Patient Zero’: Taylor Swift Brings in Colin Farrell and Dakota Johnson for High-Tension Music Video Clip Ahead of VMAs

Taylor Swift is ready for her new era. The songstress has teased the release of her upcoming music video for “Patient Zero,” which is all set to debut at the upcoming Video Music Awards (VMAs). In the 13-second clip, the singer stars alongside actors Colin Farrell and Dakota Johnson in an ominous, dark-toned scene. 

Dakota Johnson starts it off with a mirror reflection, with Swift on the other side of it, as the two stand opposite each other in front of a bathroom sink. In the following scene, they take a dive into the water and then stand side-by-side at a grave, putting down a couple of black roses. Swift extends a comforting hand to Johnson and then shows up with a pensive expression and a big rock on her ring finger. 

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Colin Farrell steps out of a sleek sedan in the following section, with Johnson rushing out of a ballroom as people dance around her. The three come together in all-black fits, sharing a bottle of wine. The video ends with the announcement of the “Patient Zero” music video releasing at the VMAs on September 27. It is the work of Oscar-winning cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, who has worked on the films “The Revenant,” “Birdman,” “Gravity” and the upcoming     “Digger,” among others. 

This Sunday. @vmas. pic.twitter.com/dqELDIADSF

— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) September 24, 2026

The song is the lead single from her upcoming album, “The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore,” which drops this Friday with the music video reveal. While an extension of her latest studio album “The Life of a Showgirl,” it includes four new tracks: “Patient Zero,” “Cleveland!,” “Pink Clouding” and “Babylon.”

Swift previously confirmed the drop on Wednesday in a note to her fans, who began digging into all the Easter Eggs she had already shared in her many appearances and releases.