Sabrina Carpenter Says Casting Barry Keoghan in Music Video Was Unbiased Move: ‘Who’s the Greatest Actor I Can Find?’

“And he was so excited about it,“ the singer recalled of Keoghan's reaction to landing his “Please Please Please” role

Barry Keoghan’s acting resume, not his relationship with Sabrina Carpenter, landed him the role in her “Please Please Please” music video, she said.

While chatting with CBS Sunday Morning’s Tracy Smith, the “Espresso” singer, 25, revealed that when it came to casting the video, she used her “not-even-biased opinion” — though, she admitted, it also helped that the Oscar-nominated actor was sitting right next to her.

After Smith asked Carpenter why she would cast Keoghan, 31, as her love interest in the video if she wishes to keep her love life private, the musician laughed before explaining the decision.

“I, genuinely — like, a not-even-biased opinion — I was like, 'Who's the greatest actor that I can find for this music video?' And he was next to me in a chair,” Carpenter said. “And he was so excited about it.”

Related: Sabrina Carpenter and Barry Keoghan’s Relationship Timeline

Plus, “Please Please Please” — which is believed to contain cheeky lyrical references to the Saltburn star — was already a favorite of Keoghan’s.

“And he likes the song, which is great. He's a fan of the song,” Carpenter said, adding that the actor “does like my music a lot, yeah."

Carpenter has remained largely coy when it comes to discussing her relationship — which a source previously described to PEOPLE as "on and off" — since the pair first sparked dating rumors in late 2023.

Related: Sabrina Carpenter Claps Back at Hateful Troll with Screenshots: ‘I’m a Grateful Grateful Grateful Girl’

While talking to Variety in August, Carpenter praised Keoghan while reflecting on “Please Please Please,” which premiered in June.

“I don’t want to sound biased, but I think he's one of the best actors of this generation,” she said. “So getting to see him on the screen with my song as the soundtrack made the video better and all the more special.”

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In an interview with The Guardian published in late August, the “Taste” singer described working with the actor on the video as “one of the best experiences I’ve ever had.”

“I’m very honored and I got to work with such a great actor,” she told the outlet, with the writer noting that she proceeded to scrunch her face and poke fun at her own “coy diplomacy" by repeating that he's “such a great actor” in a mocking voice.

As for their non-work relationship, Carpenter went on to explain that while she’s not a fan of the public knowing the details of her personal life, she also recognizes that it comes with the levels of fame she has reached.

“It’s not what I signed up for, but I can’t really help when I was born,” she told The Guardian. “I want to be honest — I want to just write about what’s happening in my life as a 25-year-old girl.”

“But it comes with the territory and I just have to be like … okay!” she added.

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