Max Greenfield has praised Taylor Swift’s acting abilities during a podcast appearance.
The actor, 45, sat down with Jake Shane on the Therapuss podcast on August 14 to reminisce about his time on the Fox sitcom New Girl, which ran from 2011 to 2018. Greenfield starred alongside Zooey Deschanel, Jake Johnson, and Lamorne Morris in the series about a teacher who moves into a Los Angeles apartment with three male roommates.
During the conversation, Greenfield discussed the show’s many guest stars over its seven-season run, including Megan Fox, Gordon Ramsay, Margo Martindale, Prince, and Andy Samberg in a crossover with Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Among those visitors was Swift, who appeared in the season two finale titled “Elaine’s Big Day.”
Greenfield noted that Swift, 35, was already famous when she filmed the 2013 episode but had not yet reached the stratospheric level of fame she would later achieve. “Taylor wasn’t quite yet Taylor, but I remember she was on set and we were hanging out and she was so kind,” he said on the podcast.
When it came to her performance, Greenfield offered unreserved praise. “She was a better actor than all of us,” he stated. In the episode, Swift played Elaine, a wedding guest who interrupts Cece’s arranged marriage to declare her love for the groom, causing the ceremony to collapse and setting up the season’s romantic resolution.
Greenfield also recalled a specific exchange he had with Swift about her musical ambitions. “I remember asking her, I said, ‘Can I ask a question?’ She was like, ‘Yeah, sure.’ And I go, ‘If you could play like to an intimate audience or a big arena — What do you prefer?'” he shared. According to Greenfield, Swift answered immediately: “She goes, ‘If you could fill the ocean with people, I’d like to play for that.'”
The actor’s admiration for Swift extends well beyond their brief time on set together. Greenfield identified himself as a devoted Swiftie, singling out “New Year’s Day” from her 2017 album Reputation as his favorite track. “I listen to it every morning, it makes me cry,” he admitted. He then began to sing the song before catching himself, asking, “Do you have to pay for the rights for that now?”
Greenfield also revealed that his “secret songs” from Swift’s Eras Tour were “Our Song” and “You Are in Love.” His fandom has been publicly documented before — in August 2023, he attended the Los Angeles leg of the Eras Tour at SoFi Stadium with his wife Tess Sanchez and their daughter Lilly, posting videos to Instagram that showed off multiple Swift-themed friendship bracelets including one that read “Elaine’s Big Day.”
In the viral moment that started it all, Swift’s 2013 cameo in “Elaine’s Big Day” saw her character exploit the traditional wedding objection line to halt Cece’s marriage to Shivrang, played by Satya Bhabha. The moment cleverly echoed Swift’s own 2010 song “Speak Now,” in which the narrator interrupts a wedding to steal the groom. New Girl creator Liz Meriwether told EW.com at the time that Swift “kind of came and nailed it,” adding that the show tried to avoid “stunt casting” and make guest stars feel like part of the ensemble. Meriwether, a self-professed fan, noted that she “didn’t go to meet her right away because I kind of had to compose myself — there’s a 14-year-old girl inside of me.”
Greenfield is not the only New Girl alum to speak warmly of Swift’s appearance. Jake Johnson, 46, addressed the cameo during a 2024 appearance on the We’re Here to Help podcast. “She’s such a huge star but her vibe isn’t bad. She’s sweet. She’s funny,” Johnson said. He added that Swift eschewed the typical celebrity entourage: “A lot of big stars, they have their own hair and makeup. The first time I met her, I was going to my lady in the corner… And there was a random blonde lady sitting in one of the chairs.”
Swift’s acting career has included roles in Valentine’s Day, The Giver, Cats, and Amsterdam, with her self-directed short film All Too Well receiving critical acclaim.
Greenfield currently stars in The Neighborhood, which airs on CBS.