Im a queer person.
Tony-winning playwright Matthew Lopez cowrote the film with Ted Malawer and also makes his directorial debut with the project.
I knew immediately that I wanted to bring it to the screen.
Taylor Zakhar Perez as Alex Claremont-Diaz and Nicholas Galitzine as Prince Henry in Prime Video’sRed, White & Royal Blue.
He had a great balance in being able to facilitate both lightness and emotion within his work.
What isRed, White & Royal Blueaboutand how closely does it follow the book?
Going into damage-control mode, their families and handlers force the two rivals into a staged truce.
Nicholas Galitzine stars as Prince Henry with Taylor Zakhar Perez as Alex Claremont-Diaz in Prime Video’sRed, White & Royal Blue. “We did this scene fairly early on,” says Galitzine of the infamous cake-falling incident that kicks off the events of the story. “It was a lot of fun to film because we just had several members of the cast hitting us in the face with cake, which I’m sure they probably would’ve enjoyed to do at the end of the process after we irritated them for three months [laughs].”
And the tone and spirit that made everyone fall in love with the book are certainly still there.
Casey has been an incredible source of support for me throughout the making of this film, Lopez says.
It is an adaptation, not a recitation.
Galitzine as Prince Henry, Malcolm Atobrah as Percy Okonjo (a friend of Henry’s), Rachel Hilson as Nora Holleran (the VP’s granddaughter), and Zakhar Perez as Alex Claremont-Diaz. “They were a dream come true,” López says of working with Zakhar Perez and Galitzine. “Taylor and Nick have an astonishing chemistry together. You could see it from their first audition together. They genuinely liked and trusted each other from the start. And individually they each take these characters and make them their own. I cannot imagine any other actor playing these roles, and I haven’t from the moment I first met them.”
What will the movie look like?
Glamourhas the exclusive first photos from the film.
They were a dream come true, Lopez says of working with Zakhar Perez and Galitzine.
Uma Thurman stars as President Ellen Claremont inRed, White & Royal Blue. “I love working with actors that are at her level because it makes you level up as an actor yourself,” says Zakhar Perez, who plays her son Alex Claremont-Diaz. “There’s no slacking, no overthinking. She was such a strong scene partner, such a giving scene partner, that it challenged me, threw curveballs at me, and really made me listen and be present.”
Taylor and Nick have an astonishing chemistry together.
You could see it from their first audition together.
They genuinely liked and trusted each other from the start.
Ellie Bamber as Princess Bea, sister to Galitzine’s Prince Henry. “When I read the script, I thought it was a very interesting, very topical character,” Galitzine says of his character. “Henry felt like an emotional, sensitive, guarded person, and I find people like that very interesting to play.”
And individually they each take these characters and make them their own.
Uma Thurman stars as President Ellen Claremont inRed, White & Royal Blue.
There’s no slacking, no overthinking.
“Nick and I hit it off right away,” says Zakhar Perez. “We had our chemistry read on Zoom, and then we went straight into rehearsals on day one. We didn’t even have a lunch or a ‘Hi, nice to meet you.’ We just had to trust each other.”Adds Galitzine, “Taylor and I have this level of insincerity with each other. We have this public [banter] with each other, but privately we’re really, really close mates. That’s kind of Alex and Henry in a lot of ways, negging each other and pushing each other’s buttons. Taylor and I spoke the same language, had the same humor. You need to have a partner in crime to embody these roles, and I think it’s so palpable when costars don’t have the chemistry [that we do.]”
Ellie Bamber as Princess Bea, sister to Galitzine’s Prince Henry.
Nick and I hit it off right away, says Zakhar Perez.
“We had our chemistry read on Zoom, and then we went straight into rehearsals on day one.
Sarah Shahi as Zahra Bankston. Says Zakhar Perez, “She is so much fun. I would want her as my scene partner forever. We just have such a good time together. She’s so funny, and I think our dynamic and timing works really well together. I want another movie with Sarah, and I don’t care what it is.”
We didn’t even have a lunch or a Hi, nice to meet you.
We just had to trust each other.
Adds Galitzine, Taylor and I have this level of insincerity with each other.
“My absolutely favorite scene to film was the night we shot inside the Victoria and Albert Museum,” says López of the scene depicted here. “We arrived at 10 p.m. and filmed until sunrise. To have access to that museum at night without any other people around made you feel what Henry and Alex must have been feeling the night they go there together. What made it so special is that, for one of the first times in the shoot, it was just me, Taylor, and Nick working. No other actors, no background players. It’s a magical scene in the book, and it was a magical night for all of us.”
Taylor and I spoke the same language, had the same humor.
Sarah Shahi as Zahra Bankston.
Says Zakhar Perez, She is so much fun.
I would want her as my scene partner forever.
We just have such a good time together.
She’s so funny, and I think our dynamic and timing works really well together.
I want another movie with Sarah, and I don’t care what it is.
We arrived at 10 p.m. and filmed until sunrise.
No other actors, no background players.
Its a magical scene in the book, and it was a magical night for all of us.
On July 5, Prime released the first-look teaser trailer, and the sexual tension was already palpable.
This content can also be viewed on the site itoriginatesfrom.
In the first full trailer, released on July 6, the sexual tension was positively explosive.
Without getting too graphic, the trailer includes several tantalizing glimpses of the steaminess and drama to come.
What else do I need to know?
The filmrated R, by the wayis Lopez’s directorial debut.
I remember Casey coming in on a really fun day, says Galitzine.
We obviously have a lot of fan service, and I hope they love my interpretation of Henry.
Whos in the cast?
Also starring in the film is Uma Thurman as President Ellen Claremont, the first female POTUS.
When does it come out?
Red, White & Royal Bluewill be available for streaming on Prime Video on August 11.
Okay, but what about theromance?
Red, White & Royal Bluethe book isI’m not sure how to put this any other wayfamously horny.
He was incredible, Zakhar Perez says of working with Taylor Hunt.
It was just like a dance.
I grew up in theater, and Nick’s done musicals.
We’re both very musical people.
So Robbie found it easiest to talk to us in musical termsthere’s a musicality to intimacy.
There’d be lots of counting.
Like, 1, 2, 3, 4, grab.
2, 3, 4, squeeze.
That’s what was going through my mind as we did it, to get it in your body.
Once your body remembers it, you could let it go.
The muscle memory is so strong.
Then it’s just about getting your mind in the game.
Adds Galitzine, It’s a very vulnerable and trusting space.
Robbie was really helpful in educating me in the physical language of the character.
What else are the cast and creators saying?
The core of Alex [from the book] is still in the film, he says.
He’s just so ambitious, loyal, charismatic, and smart.
That’s just how he was raised, how he was educated.
I’m not saying I’m not smart, but whew.
His brain never stops.
He continues, With Alex, there’s such a growing-up process.
He’s like a man-child in a way.
He’s really impulsive and stubborn, and he’s insecure with his parents.
His dad’s a congressman and his mom’s the president.
You see how hard it is for him to balance his personal and professional life.
He’s had sexual experiences with guys in the past, but he doesn’t lead with it.
I think it’s not even top of mind.
He’s kissing girls at a New Year’s party.
It turns into love, and his identity and family and relationships become even more important.
I love that about Alex.
If there’s an alternative universe, who knows what would have happened if he didn’t meet Henry?
For Lopez, the most challenging scene was the wedding scene that opens the film.
We shot it over the course of three days, the director says.
I wasnt unpracticed at the end of it.
But Taylor really was just so emotionally present that it helped me.
We got to a vulnerable, beautiful space.
Those kinds of moments are where you drift into a level of truth and sincerity that feels very real.
That’s what we’re always aiming for.
He continues, It’s a really heartwarming story.
I hope it resonates with everyone.
I hope our movie can do the same because a lot of love went into it.
