Joseph Quinn is a classically trained actor — but admittedly not great at first impressions.
The “Stranger Things” star sat down with Josh Horowitz for an interview on Monday’s episode of the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast and, when asked about the cringiest celebrity encounter he’s had since finding fame, didn’t have to think too long to remember.
“I met Taylor Swift once and I said, ‘You’re Taylor Swift,’” answered Quinn. “And she was very funny. She said something nice about the show and I said, ‘Oh thanks! You’re Taylor Swift!’ I meant it as a compliment … I remember thinking, ‘That was fucking stupid.’”
“But she was very good-humored about it,” he continued.
Swift continues to dominate the current pop culture zeitgeist with her record-breaking “Eras Tour” and publicized relationship with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
Quinn didn’t reveal where or when he met the singer and songwriter, though Swift does have a friendship with one of his co-stars.
Sadie Sink, who joined “Stranger Things” in Season 2, starred in the short film Swift directed for her own 2021 song “All Too Well.” The Grammy winner even wrote about Sink for Entertainment Weekly’s 2022 “Entertainers of the Year” column.
“She is a force to watch and a pleasure to know,” wrote Swift at the time. “I’ll continue to feel just as lucky to watch from afar as she lights up the screen, tells new stories, and shows us new sides of herself … and we get to look on as she courageously unveils them.”
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Quinn, whose “Stranger Things” character Eddie Munson became a fan favorite in Season 4, is currently unveiling new sides of his own: He’s not only promoting “A Quiet Place: Day One,” but will soon be seen in Ridley Scott’s long-anticipated “Gladiator” sequel.
When prodded about his starstruck self, meanwhile, Quinn admitted that “the stuff that comes out of your mouth when you’re caught off-guard” can be “a lot to cringe about” — and joked that he and Swift are not only besties, but already working on music together.
“We are just trying to figure it out,” he cheekily concluded.