With a sequel in the works, ‘Red, White & Royal Blue’ stars reflect on its success — and R rating
LOS ANGELES (AP) — When “Red, White & Royal Blue” debuted last summer, it did so without fanfare or spectacle, landing squarely amid historic Hollywood strikes that precluded its stars from lending their press-friendly faces to promote the movie.
But the lack of publicity surrounding the Amazon Studios rom-com’s premiere didn’t deter it from becoming a hit with audiences. The streaming service said it was the top watched film on its platform for weeks, and that it brought in a surge of subscribers.
As a further testament to the movie’s success, the studio recently announced — amid a determined Emmy campaign — that a sequel was in the works, which is no small feat given the slowed production that has followed the resolution of the strikes.
For stars Nicholas Galitzine and Taylor Zakhar Perez, watching the film gain that kind of organic fanbase was particularly meaningful because of the role “Red, White & Royal Blue” plays in queer storytelling.
“After filming and kind of getting some space from it is when I really realized what this was going to do for the community. And people outside of the community,” Perez said. “It just provides empathy, you know?”
