Taylor Zakhar Perez has come to the defence of his Red, White & Royal Blue co-star Nicholas Galitzine from ‘rude and unprofessional’ questions about his sexuality.
Earlier this month, Galitzine expressed “guilt” over taking on queer roles “as a straight man”.
As well as his beloved performance in the Prime Video rom-com, the British actor has played queer in Legends (2015), Handsome Devil (2016), The Craft: Legacy (2020) and Mary & George (2024).
“And that just always stuck with me, because if you’re watching a film and there’s nothing outside the room that matters, the actors are doing their jobs.”
He continued to defend Galitzine: “Nicholas was just asked the other day about his sexuality, and I just find it so rude. It’s unprofessional and no one’s business. That’s someone’s personal life.
“And so I’m grateful to be part of a project where, yes, it is a love story, but again, it’s not the sole focus. These people have robust, full lives. They’re educated. Alex is in law school.
“Henry is crazy smart and he’s a prince, and his sense of duty is unparalleled. The less people focus on sexuality and see what these people are capable of, that’s when we’ve created real change.”
Based on Casey McQuiston’s championed novel of the same name, Red, White & Royal Blue follows the blossoming romance between a British prince (Galitzine) and the son (Zakhar-Perez) of America’s first-ever female president (Uma Thurman).
For its faithfulness to the source material and the aforementioned chemistry between the two leads, Red, White & Royal Blue received universal praise from longtime fans and newcomers.
After months of edging fans, a sequel was confirmed on 9 May at a special screening for the OG film in Culver City, Calif, which was attended by Galitzine, Perez, Thurman, Sarah Shahi, Clifton Collins Jr. and Rachel Hilson.
Galitzine and Perez will return to their iconic roles as Prince Henry and Alex Claremont-Diaz, with Matthew Lopez once again taking the reigns as director. He will co-write the script with McQuiston.
