Taylor Zakhar Perez and Nicholas Galitzine star in the upcoming gay, royal rom-com on Prime Video.
Taylor Zakhar Perez and Nicholas Galitzine are opening up about what it was like to film sex scenes for their upcoming gay rom-com, Red, White & Royal Blue. In the Prime Video movie, which has been adapted from author Casey McQuiston's bestselling novel, the two actors play high profile frenemies-turned-lovers, with Perez as America's first son, Alex Claremont-Diaz, and Galitzine as Prince Henry of Britain.
Ahead of the movie's August release, it's been revealed that Red, White and Royal Blue will be rated R for "language, some sexual content, and partial nudity," promising that the book's many intimate scenes will make it to the big screen. And according to the two stars, they worked closely on bringing those moments to life in front of the camera.
"It’s a crazy thing to be intimate in that way with your friend," Galitzine tells GQ Hype, explaining in the magazine's Summer Issue that "we want people to fall in love with these characters, because their love has to be real."
And in order to capture that on screen, "there [was] so much choreography to sex…ual scenes," Perez reveals, with GQ noting "the sheer amount of time and energy (and the occasional blow-up mattress) that went into rehearsals."
He adds, "Our guards were down during rehearsals." But then, when the scene was over, "one of us would say something stupid, like, 'Get off me!'" the actor shares, echoing comments made by Robbie Taylor Hunt, the film's intimacy coordinator.
"There’s a playful teasing that never veered into anything nasty, which was a lovely dynamic to be a part of," Hunt says of the two actors. "But also they just treated each other like colleagues and co-creatives in a really nice, collaborative way."
It also doesn't hurt that "we’re both heartthrobs," Perez says of the pair, referring to the fact that he previously starred in The Kissing Booth before stripping down in Minx while Galitzine appeared in the series, Chambers, before moving onto the upcoming high school comedy, Bottoms. Essentially, they are both "Netflix summer dudes," he quips.
And now, with Red, White & Royal Blue, they're romantic leads as they tell the story of an unexpected romance that comes out of an ongoing feud between Alex and Henry, whose antics lead to a public incident that makes headline news at the worst possible.
As a result, both of their families attempt to control the damage by staging a truce between the two, forcing Alex and Henry to spend more time together. And then, it's not long before their icy relationship begins to thaw and sparks begin to fly as the two discover something deeper between them.
In addition to Galitzine and Perez, the film also stars Uma Thurman as President Ellen Claremont, Ellie Bamber as Princess Bea, Malcolm Atobrah as Percy Okonjo, Rachel Hilson as Nora Holleran and Sarah Shahi as Zahra Bankston. Clifton Collins Jr., Stephen Fry, Thomas Flynn, Akshay Khanna, Sharon D Clarke, Aneesh Sheth and Juan Castano also round out the cast in various roles.
Red, White & Royal Blue is directed by the Tony Award-winning playwright Matthew Lopez, who co-wrote the screenplay alongside Ted Malawer. The film is produced by Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter and executive produced by Lopez, McQuiston, Michael Riley McGrath and Michael S. Constable.
Red, White & Royal Blue will debut August 11 on Prime Video.
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