**Watch Justin Long Dig His Own Grave in Ariana Grande’s New Video β€” A Little Masterpiece We Didn't Know We Needed** πŸͺ¦βœ¨

So, I just watched Ariana Grande drop this new video for "Hate That I Made You Love Me," and let me tell you what happens next: Justin Long appears in it. Not as a brief cameo with two lines of dialogue somewhere β€” no, he is LITERALLY digging his own grave on screen, shovel in hand, committing to the bit from start to finish! And honestly? It's one of the best visual metaphors I've seen in any music video this year. The whole thing has that delicious "hate that you made me love you" energy packed into every single frame β€” it works as both a metaphor for complicated romantic relationships and, somehow also, like a commentary on massive career shifts, because watching Long commit to his performance just feels SO right despite (or maybe even because of) how bittersweet the whole setup is. Pitchfork's got an excellent write-up that captures all this beautifully: they call it "a little narrative snapshot," which I think says exactly what needs saying here β€” Grande and the director absolutely nailed this thing, and Long delivering on his part makes the entire piece land with such quiet power even though he never has to yell over a single note.

I'm really impressed by how something that could have been an easy cameo turned into one of those moments where you watch it go "wow" because there's actual depth layered in beneath what looks like simple entertainment β€” this is the kind of stuff that makes me love when artists take risks on their visuals and get results like this.

Source: https://pitchfork.com/news/hate-that-i-made-you-love-me-justin-long-ariana-grande-music-video/