It took five months between audition and call-back for “Red, White & Royal Blue” star Taylor Zakhar Perez, but it only took a few days for him to secure the role of Alex Claremont-Diaz after speaking with producer Sarah Schechter and co-writer, director and executive producer Matthew Lopez.
Oh, he's got a lot to learn. | Red, White and Royal Blue
“I’m at my cousin’s wedding and David Rapaport calls me and says, ‘Hey, Sarah Schechter wants to talk to you about this project.’ And I said, ‘Oh, I auditioned for that a long time ago.’ He said, ‘Yeah, they’re trying to find their Alex. They want to talk to you,’” Perez recalled. “I had a great conversation with Sarah. I had a great conversation with Matthew. Then I flew back two days later and had Nick [Galitzine] read the camera over Zoom… they said the next day, ‘Can you go to London in four days?’”
During Prime Video's Variety Streaming Room, Perez, Schechter and Lopez spoke with senior television editor Emily Longeretta about adapting Casey McQuiston's 2019 novel for the big screen.
“Red, White & Royal Blue” follows the first son of the United States (Perez) and the Duke of Cambridge (Galitzine), who are forced to pretend to be friends after a feud between them makes international headlines. Initially resentful, the pair develop a genuine connection that eventually blossoms into romance.
