He has built up a reputation for being very private and publicity shy, preferring to remain out of the spotlight.
But it appears that Joe Alwyn is planning a major comeback, as the recent weeks have seen him finally emerge from the shadows.
The actor, 33, is currently in Italy for Milan Fashion Week, arriving in the city just days after he hit the headlines for breaking his silence on his infamous split from Taylor Swift.
With his high fashion photoshoot in Style magazine coupled with a string of public appearances in Cannes and Milan and a new movie about to be released, it seems that Joe is getting ready to return to the public sphere.
And after spending so many years being known as just another one of Taylor’s boyfriends, it appears that Joe is preparing to stand out on his own.
For more than six years, he and the pop megastar, 34, shared a notoriously private romance, in stark contrast to the singer’s usual public relationships.
In the wake of their split last year, her fans have created a number of theories and rumours about the reasons for their break-up.
And after Taylor released her latest album, The Tortured Poets Society, their relationship became public fodder once more, as Swifties poured over every song and lyric for possible allusions of Joe.
But Joe has remained as closed a book as ever and even disappeared from social media for five months.
However, last week saw the Conversations With Friends star finally break his silence on the split and speak out about all buzz and speculation surrounding him.
Speaking to The Sunday Times Style about the relationship for the first time, 14 months after it ended, Joe described his romance with Taylor as ‘long, loving’ and ‘fully committed’.
When asked if he listened to her latest album, he said: ‘In thinking on what I was going to say, I would think and hope that anyone and everyone can empathise… This isn’t a direct answer to your question, but just thinking about what I want to talk about.
‘I would hope that anyone and everyone can empathise and understand the difficulties that come with the end of a long, loving, fully committed relationship of over six and a half years.
‘That is a hard thing to navigate. What is unusual and abnormal in this situation is that, one week later, it’s suddenly in the public domain and the outside world is able to weigh in.’
He proceeded to reference the huge amount of public speculation around the relationship and subsequent split, acknowledging how at odds it was to his notoriously private personality.
He pointed out that the dissection of a private matter means there is always going to be ‘a gap between what is known and what is said’, but insisted he had made his peace with it.
But despite Taylor creating a best-selling album around their parting, Joe insisted he would remain tight-lipped, saying: ‘As everyone knows, we together — both of us, mutually — decided to keep the more private details of our relationship private. It was never something to commodify and I see no reason to change that now.
‘And, look, this is also a little over a year ago now and I feel fortunate to be in a really great place in my life, professionally and personally. I feel really good.’
Joe seems to be attempting to forge a new path forward, with emphasis placed purely on his career and not his personal life.
He refused in the interview to confirm if he was dating anyone new, saying that ‘given the level of noise and scrutiny about my past relationship’, he didn’t want to open himself up to that again.
But him finally opening up about Taylor comes as a surprise, as he has always been resolute in his silence.
In 2022, he told Harper’s Bazaar: ‘I completely expect people to ask those questions [about his relationship with Taylor], if I’m putting work into the world, of course people are going to ask about that.’
But he added definitively: ‘I can understand that those questions would be asked, but I don’t see why these questions should always be answered’.
Joe also reportedly banned any questions about his split from Taylor in the press tour for his movie Kinds of Kindness.
The timing appears relevant therefore, with Joe’s career on the rise with Kinds of Kindness being released in theatres next week, from award-winning director Yorgos Lanthimos.
He plays a trio of roles in the film, opposite acting greats like Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, Jesse Plemons, Margaret Qualley and Hong Chau.
While his modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet is set to be released soon, starring as Laertes opposite Oscar winner Riz Ahmed as the titular prince.
And last year Joe also wrapped filming on period drama, The Brutalist, alongside the likes of Felicity Jones, Adrien Brody and Guy Pearce.
Speaking about his career aspirations, he hinted that he may even try his hand at treading the boards in theatre, admitting: ‘It would absolutely terrify me, but maybe that’s a good thing.’
While The Favourite star’s accompanying fashion spread in Style also came as a surprise, coming just before he made a stylish appearance at the Prada show during Milan Fashion Week on Sunday.
Joe made a fashion statement in a purple turtleneck teamed with a black double-breasted blazer.
He teamed the ensemble with denim, patent leather shoes and finished off with a pair of fashionable squared shades.
While he was also joined by his commercial agent for the trip, who was spotted guiding him from his hotel and implying his appearance was about more than just watching a runway show.
After returning to social media in February after a period of radio silence, Joe has since only shared posts relating to his work, posting shots promoting Kinds of Kindness.
It was previously reported that Joe had ‘moved on’ from his separation from Taylor, with an insider saying: ‘He’s a great guy and not into drama in any way.’
They continued to say Joe is ‘doing well’ and ‘focused on work’ and noted: ‘Joe loves acting, but can’t stand the attention that comes with it. He’s not comfortable in the spotlight.’
Taylor is still yet to speak publicly about the break-up, but has since moved on with NFL star Travis Kelce.
Her only comments have come through song, with several tracks on The Tortured Poets Department understood to be about Joe.
In one particular track, LOML, Taylor heartbreakingly sings: ‘I wish we could recall how we almost had it all…’
Last year in April, it was confirmed that Taylor and Joe had officially gone their separate ways after dating for six years.
Taylor then surprisingly announced the upcoming release of her new album and revealed it would be called The Tortured Poets Society, causing fans to quickly become convinced that the title was in reference to Joe.
Back in 2022, the actor explained that he was part of a WhatsApp group chat with close pals Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott called The Tortured Man Club.
Following the album announcement, a source told DailyMail.com that Joe felt it would be ‘shady’ if Taylor dissed him in The Tortured Poets Department.
‘Joe has not said one word about Taylor or their breakup and has been completely respectful of her,’ an insider told DailyMail.com exclusively.
‘It’s undeniable that the name of her upcoming album is in reference to Joe’s WhatsApp group chat.’
The source continued: ‘Taylor knocked him for the name of this when they were together. She didn’t want people to think that it had anything to do with her, so when he spoke out about it, she was, of course, bothered.’
The insider continued: ‘Joe has no reason to believe yet that she is going to diss him or their relationship.
‘She writes about her past using code and points of reference. It may just be that she is reflecting on their time together and he is hoping it is nothing more.
‘If it is a diss album, that is shady. He helped her with song writing on her past album so it will really come as a shock to him if she talks about their breakup, as it is something he has not spoken of at all.’
The source finished: ‘Regardless of what she does, he will still not respond because he has removed himself from her narrative and is very glad, he did.