Saleka Shyamalan Makes a Bold Declaration About Taylor Swift

Director M. Night Shyamalan’s oldest daughter shared some bold thoughts on Taylor Swift while attending the premiere of her father’s new film, Trap, this week in New York City.

Saleka Shyamalan plays Lady Raven in the film, a pop star whose concert is the location for the narrative that plays out onscreen. The movie also stars Josh Hartnett, a father who takes his daughter to see Lady Raven on the same night that police attempt to trap a serial killer at the show, as shown in trailers for the film.

The “Cruel Summer” singer was a big topic of discussion on the set of Trap, Saleka told People while walking the red carpet for the film’s premiere at Alice Tully Hall on Wednesday, July 24. “We talked a lot about Taylor Swift on set and how she’s this boss woman and CEO,” the 27-year-old said. She pointed to Swift’s power as a businesswoman as she identified the 14-time Grammy Award winner as “something for women to aspire to be.”

Swift is “not just a singer and an entertainer” but also “a boss,” Saleka explained to the magazine. The “Fortnight” songstress’ ability to rise above the entertainer role is something that “we thought a lot about,” the actress added.

The Sixth Sense director previously identified Swift’s concerts as a source of inspiration for his latest thriller. He pitched the movie in a single sentence to Empire, asking the British film magazine during an interview that was published earlier this month, “What if The Silence of the Lambs happened at a Taylor Swift concert?”

The Oscar-nominated director also described the onscreen concert as being an “equally important” part of his film. That element of Trap is one reason the movie maker thinks audiences will be interested in checking it out. As he told Empire, “there’s literally a real concert that you can see nowhere except in that movie.”

Trap is slated to arrive in theaters on August 2.

Next: Josh Hartnett Shares Bold Opinion of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour