- Bryce Dallas Howard responded to the theory that Taylor Swift secretly wrote "Argylle."
- The Matthew Vaughn thriller is about a writer and her cat who get involved with spies.
Bryce Dallas Howard debunked the theory that Taylor Swift wrote the new spy thriller "Argylle."
In the movie Howard plays Elly Conway, a writer of the fictional "Argylle" espionage novels, who finds that her books have detailed the missions of a real spy network.
Directed by Matthew Vaughn, who also made "Kingsman," the film revolves around whether Agent Argylle (Henry Cavill) is or is not real. The film is based on the novel of the same name by the author Elly Conway — the same name as Howard's character in the film.
Since the story contains a few references to Swift, some fans dreamed up with the idea that the pop superstar wrote the book under a pen name.
More importantly, Howard's character carries her cat, Alfie, in a backpack — similar to the one Swift uses for her feline friend, Olivia Benson.
Howard appeared on Tuesday's "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon" and said Vaughn was inspired by a photo of Swift's cat backpack.
"Matthew saw this image and was like 'That needs to be in a movie, like this situation, needs to be in a movie.' A woman on the run with cat in her backpack," she explained.
"You know, Matthew has had all of this very shrouded in secrecy, he's probably a spy himself or a 'Bond' villain," She added. "But he had no idea of this rumor until his daughter ran into his room and was like 'Why didn't you tell me that Taylor Swift wrote 'Argylle'? He's like, 'What? Pardon?'"
Howard also pointed out there are more references to Swift and her music in the film that will surprise fans, including a nod to her 2014 album "1989" — also the year Vaughn graduated.
"It's really, really, really bizarre, but a huge honor to have any association whatsoever with Taylor Swift," the actor added.
Vaughn also addressed the rumor at the film's London premiere, telling Variety: "It's not Taylor Swift, but books do not write themselves. I wish they did. I wish screenplays wrote themselves. I wish movies directed themselves."
The director added: "There is a Elly Conway. I am begging Elly Conway to come out of the shadows because this Taylor Swift thing freaked me out. And it's going to happen."
"Argylle" arrives in theaters on Friday.