Here’s Taylor Swift’s brief but important role in The Giver explained. The Giver is based on the novel by Lois Lowry, which takes place in a society where the emotions of the population are suppressed to maintain order. This stops people from feeling depressed or unhappy, but it also removes happiness and love too. The story follows Jonas, a young boy selected to become the next Receiver of Memory, who holds all the memories of the past and struggles with the new emotions the role brings with it.
Following the success of The Hunger Games, Hollywood greenlit a large number of YA properties. This includes The Maze Runner trilogy and The Divergent Series. The Giver joined this line-up in 2014, with a great cast that included Jeff Bridges, Alexander Skarsgård, and Meryl Streep. Bridges also produced the movie and had previously tried to mount an adaptation during the 1990s, where he wanted his father Lloyd to play the title role. Jeff Bridges himself would ultimately play the part while Brenton Thwaites played Jonas, his young protege.
While The Giver was greeted with a lukewarm critical response, with criticism focused on its dreary pacing and tone, it was a modest box-office success. The movie also featured a surprise cameo from singer Taylor Swift as Rosemary, the Giver’s daughter. Swift has only made a small number of movie appearances, including Valentine’s Day and the upcoming adaptation of musical Cats.
Taylor Swift’s The Giver role is short but important. During Jonas’ lessons, he gradually learns about emotions like love, grief, and joy. The Giver teaches him about music and reveals his daughter Rosemary (Swift) was once his protege. She taught him how to play the piano, which includes a theme heard a few times throughout The Giver. Rosemary also insisted on experiencing every type of memory but after two months of training, she became overwhelmed by the emotions she experienced.
The Giver then reveals she asked to be “released,” which in the community means death by lethal injection. Taylor Swift does well in the role, with the character of Rosemary haunting the story and the Giver himself. Her story also underlines the importance of emotion to Jonas and inspires him to break out of his repressive society by the end. While the movie did respectable financially, there doesn’t seem to be much interest in a sequel to the movie, so it’s unlikely fans will see what happens next after The Giver’s hopeful ending.