New behind-the-scenes images of Jacob Elordi on the set of On Swift Horses have been released — and yes, fans, they’re just as dreamy as you’d hope.
Following months of buzz and building anticipation, the Daniel Minahan-directed film officially galloped into U.S. theaters on Friday, April 25. The movie is based on Shannon Pufahl’s acclaimed novel of the same name and weaves a tale of longing, love, and life on the emotional edge.
Set in the 1950s, the film stars Daisy Edgar-Jones and Will Poulter as newlyweds Muriel and Lee, who leave behind Kansas City to start anew in sunny San Diego. But things take a turn when Lee’s enigmatic brother Julius, played by Elordi, shows up with charm, secrets, and a dangerous past that throws everything off course.
According to the official synopsis, a “dangerous love triangle quickly forms.” When Julius takes off in search of a young card cheat he’s fallen for, Muriel begins a secret double life — gambling on racehorses and discovering a kind of love she never knew she craved.
In celebration of the film’s U.S. release, Entertainment Weekly shared a stunning collection of behind-the-scenes photographs taken by artist Jack Pierson. The images showcase the film’s vintage aesthetic, complete with period-perfect costumes, dramatic lighting, and, of course, Elordi’s effortlessly cool screen presence.
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One standout image shows Elordi mid-scene in a moody casino setting. Another captures Edgar-Jones in full 1950s glam. And yes, two of the images show Elordi shirtless — a cinematic tradition, at this point.
“The first scene I came in on wound up being the first scene in the movie, although they’d been shooting for a week,” Elordi told EW. “This is where Daisy’s character first encounters Jacob’s. I hope it makes you think of Edward Hopper.”
The photo set also includes solo portraits of the main cast, including Diego Calva, who plays Elordi’s on-screen love interest. “Diego’s hair was perfection,” Pierson recalled, “but when it came time to shoot, the wind really came up and wouldn’t stop! It doesn’t matter, though, because those eyes triumphed.”
Elordi recently described the project to Vanity Fair as “a sprawling, epic, non-generic love story” and emphasized its universal themes. He also opened up about building chemistry with Calva, revealing they spent a week rehearsing intensively in a motel room. “Dan gave us a lot of freedom to play and to find that love within those four walls,” he said.
Calva, for his part, praised Elordi as a “methodic actor” and added that their personalities complemented each other. “We rehearsed together. I felt safe all the time,” Calva shared with Film Updates. He even mentioned they bonded over a shared love of Pokémon on Nintendo Switch.
While the film is now showing in U.S. cinemas, international fans will need a bit more patience. On Swift Horses is set to debut in France on April 30 under the title Les Indomptés, and in Spain on July 25. A UK release date has not yet been announced.
