Joe Alwyn On If He’s Had Conversations With Taylor Swift About Open Relationships, Which Form Center Of ‘Conversations With Friends’

Joe Alwyn‘s character Nick Conway in Hulu‘s upcoming limited series Conversations With Friends—based on the Sally Rooney novel of the same name— partakes of an open relationship, but he confirms this is not the case in his real-life romance with Taylor Swift.

“I think people can do what they want and makes them happy. I’m obviously happy in a monogamous relationship,” Alwyn shared during the show’s CTAM presentation for media on Tuesday when asked whether he has ever discussed the topic with his high-profile partner. “But I think one of the interesting things about Sally’s writings and what she explores is happiness, love, desire, and intimacy outside of those constructs that we create for ourselves, whether that’s friendships or families or relationships. So I think as a conversation it’s endlessly fascinating, and one of the reasons why people love her books, and our refusal to—without giving things away— tie things up at the end of her stories in a neat bow. It’s just constantly thought-provoking.”

Conversations With Friends—from the team behind Normal People— tells the story of 21-year-old college student Frances (Alison Oliver), who is forced to confront her own vulnerabilities through a series of relationships.

In a new teaser released above, Nick is paired off with both his wife Melissa Conway (Jemima Kirk) and Oliver’s Frances. Sasha Lane rounds out the foursome as Bobbi Connolly, who shares a connection with Melissa and Frances.

Kirk said, “Because of the nature of an open relationship, it’s just a lot of talking. You have to do so much talking with your spouse or whatever, maybe on a weekly basis about what’s ok and what’s not ok, then reestablishing grey areas. It’s just exhausting, at least for me it would be.”

Lane joined her co-stars Oliver, Alywn, and Kirk in lauding the project and its portrayal of complex relationships that are very real today.

“I think there’s something really nice about being able to play someone more true to reality,” she said. “The thing I love most about humans and why I like playing these roles is because of the layers and also the dynamics. If you think about your friends and your parents and their parents and people you see on the street, there are just so many different dynamics and versions of how they interact with their own friends. How I might love someone could be completely different from how I love someone else.”

All 12 episodes will be available to stream in May.