Ryan Murphy Has 'Talked' to Taylor Swift's 'People' More Than Once About Working with Her: 'Would Do It in a Heartbeat'

Mar. 15, 2025

Ryan Murphy visits the SiriusXM Studios for the ‘Town Hall’ with the Cast of ‘Feud’ on February 13, 2017 in New York City, Taylor Swift attends the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards at UBS Arena on September 11, 2024 in Elmont, New York.

Cindy Ord/Getty; Jamie McCarthy/WireImage

It’s safe to say thatRyan Murphyhas had his sights set onTaylor Swiftfor quite some time.

“I’ve talked to Taylor’s people about various things through the years, and all I will say is that I think she’s great and if she ever has time to do it, I would do it in a heartbeat,” Murphy toldThe Hollywood Reporter.

“I think she’s one of the greats.”

Though he’s a fan of both Swift, 34, and Kelce, 35, Murphy said he was “so shy talking to Travis about her” while makingGrotesquerie.

“He’s very sweet about it and respectful. They are a pop-culture phenomenon,” Murphy said ofthe relationship. “It’s a very interesting dynamic, the way they’ve captured the imagination of the world. "

Travis Kelce in ‘Grotesquerie’.Prashant Gupta/FX

FX’s Grotesquerie – Episode 3 (airs Wednesday, October 2 at 10 p.m. ET/PT) Pictured: Travis Kelce

Prashant Gupta/FX

TheAmerican Horror Storycreator also gave credit to Kelce for his impressive performance on the thriller series, as he toldTHR, “I always knew Travis could do it.”

“I have this saying: A star is a star is a star. I just knew he could do it. He rolls up his sleeves and he says, ‘Ok, let’s do this.'”

Kelce plays a “guardian angel” of sorts, in Murphy’s words, as the character acts as a moral compass of some kind for protagonistNiecy Nash-Betts’ Lois Tryon.

“When you see him, he’s lit like he’s God,” Murphy said of Kelce’s first scene with Nash-Betts in the hospital with a blossoming garden of flowers behind them.

“It makes no sense that there are acres of flowers in that hospital set that we brought in and designed. I lit him and dressed him like that.”

Travis Kelce, Raven Goodwin in ‘Grotesquerie’.Prashant Gupta/FX

FX’s Grotesquerie – Episode 7 (airs Wednesday, October 16 at 10 p.m. ET/PT) Pictured (L-R): Travis Kelce, Raven Goodwin as Merritt Tryon.

It only makes sense now that the show’s seventh episode has premiered and revealed a reality-altering twist: Lois has been in a coma the whole time, not her husband (Courtney B. Vance), and the murder she’s been trying to solve is actually entirely in her head.

In reality, Kelce plays the downtrodden husband of Lois' daughter Merritt (Raven Goodwin), who has been having an affair with Lois. He’s got a nasty mullet and he works at Cinnabon.

Murphy said of Kelce’s transition to playing the second character, “When he did the turn and played the character with the mullet who worked at Cinnabon, he was really involved in, ‘Ok, I want my mullet to be here and I want to wear this.'”

He added that the Kansas City Chiefs tight end “is funny and it’s just kind of great.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Grotesquerieairs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on FX and streams the next day on Hulu.

source: people.com