Red, White and Royal Blue released on August 11. (Image: Instagram)
The film revolves around Alex and Prince Henry turning from enemies to lovers while also coming to terms with accepting their sexuality.
Taylor Zakhar Perez and Nicholas Galitzine starrer queer romantic comedy Red, White and Royal Blue released on August 11 on Prime Video. The film is based on Casey McQuiston’s critically acclaimed New York Times best-seller of the same name. Taylor plays Alex, the son of the US president who falls in love with Henry, the Prince of England played by Nicholas. The duo’s heartwarming chemistry from enemies to lovers is being appreciated by fans. They recently spoke about what drew them to their characters.
Nicholas Galitzine observes in his role as Prince Henry of England, “The nature of the institution that Henry is born into and has to present himself in every single day means it’s almost impossible for him to openly be who he is. Loving someone is complicated enough, but in Henry’s world, it is far more complicated. The notion of playing someone who is trapped by circumstance was very interesting to play as an actor, and there is a multi-dimensional quality to Henry that I found particularly fascinating. It was really just about understanding who he is as a person and why he has felt the need to repress the truth about himself. What happens to someone who is extremely emotional and sensitive and has to hide from the world in that way?”
Taylor Zakhar Perez also appreciated that his character “has a really big character arc over the course of the film. Alex starts out as a very immature kid with a chip on his shoulder, who is forced to grow up after he causes an international incident at the royal wedding. But you really see him grow and mature through his relationship with Henry. He’s funny and gregarious but also smart and extremely motivated. He wants to prove to the world that he is someone apart from his parents.”
Taylor Zakhar Perez added, “When you have two seemingly immovable people on complete opposite ends of the spectrum who start taking baby steps towards the middle, you’re going to root for it, right? You want to see these unlikely lovers come together. Once these guys begin to understand each other, their world opens up and hate easily turns to love.”
Nicholas said, “Alex and Nicholas are very different people, but they didn’t realize how much they share in common. The more time they are forced to spend together, the more they see they are actually good for each other and complement each other in a lot of ways.”
Nicholas, who had read the script with a number of the contenders for Alex, affirms how Taylor was perfect for the role, “When it came down to Taylor, he was so impressive and had so much charisma. I couldn’t imagine anyone better suited for the part. And I loved working with him. So much of the filming process for me is about finding an acting partner who loves being there as much as I do. Taylor is such a fun-loving person and such a joy to be around. I can’t say enough good things about him.”
His feelings are shared by Taylor, who states, “Working with Nick was excellent. There are some rather intimate scenes in the movie, so we had to become close very fast and trust each other right away. And we did. We were each other’s biggest support because we both cared so much.”
Red, White and Royal Blue marks the feature film writing and directing debut of Tony Award-winning playwright Matthew López The cast also includes Clifton Collins Jr., Sarah Shahi, Rachel Hilson, Stephen Fry, Ellie Bamber, Thomas Flynn, Malcolm Atobrah, Akshay Khanna, Sharon D Clarke, Aneesh Sheth and Juan Castano.
