She may not mind sharing the stage with A-listers these days, but once upon a time, it was all about Taylor Swift (and no one else).
Fox News reporter and editor Chris Derespina starred in a youth production of Bye Bye Birdie with Swift in 2001. Derespina, who was 14 at the time, played Elvis-like heartthrob, Conrad Birdie. 11-year-old Swift was cast as the lead, Kim McAffee.
Derespina recalls a very professional Swift. On stage.
Off stage, he remembers, her demeanor was far from what fans see today.
“Swift and my ‘relationship’ could not have been more different than our fictional alter egos,” Derespina.
“She was the established star of the group and I was a newcomer, spurred to do the play simply because it seemed like a fun thing. However, (pardon the ego), I was quite good at my role and Swift didn’t seem to enjoy sharing the spotlight.”
Ah, those teenage years. Maybe she was crushing on Derespina and that was her way of showing it.
“We barely if ever talked when we weren’t reading lines that required our interaction and, after one performance, Swift ripped down a series of pictures of me, crumpled them and threw them against a wall,” he continued.
“In all fairness, she was an ambitious young girl who was destined to go far and I was a brash intruder into her world. It’s understandable we didn’t get along.”
Yeah, this sounds like a crush, and Derespina behaved like a typical teenage boy, possibly confusing her feelings for him with female bitchery.
He goes on:
“However, it doesn’t seem as if Swift has changed all that much from her days of ripping down my photos. Only now, she’s become famous for ripping her various ex-boyfriends in songs after their breakups.
So don’t feel too bad, Calvin. I’ve been there.”
