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The much-anticipated Red, White & Royal Blue Trailer has finally made its magnificent debut. PEOPLE and Entertainment Weekly have exclusively premiered the first glimpse of this upcoming Prime Video rom-com, adapted from Casey McQuiston’s bestselling 2019 novel.
The Story Behind the Red, White & Royal Blue Trailer
The captivating tale revolves around the persistent feud—and eventual romance—between Alex Claremont-Diaz, portrayed by Taylor Zakhar Perez, and the UK’s fictional Prince Henry, played by Nicholas Galitzine. Supporting these central characters is Uma Thurman, starring as the US President, Ellen Claremont.
Alex and Prince Henry maintain a “total disdain for each other,” culminating in a “disastrous—and very public—altercation at a royal event,” posing a threat to the international relations between the two nations “at the worst possible time,” as per the film’s synopsis.
Their families and handlers, seeking to mitigate the damage, thrust the two adversaries into a contrived ‘truce.’ However, Alex and Henry’s frosty relationship surprisingly starts melting into a tentative friendship, sparking an unforeseen depth of feelings.
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Bringing the Prince Henry and Alex to Life
Perez, 31, describes the film to PEOPLE as “a classic fairy tale with a twist for all generations,” with the hope that viewers derive “joy” after watching it. His character Alex is “driven by ambition and strives for success in everything he does,” he shares. Alex is “willing to stand up for what he believes in and is fiercely loyal to his family and friends. He’s also incredibly stubborn, impulsive and impatient.”
Discussing how he and Galitzine, 28, developed the onscreen chemistry, Perez attributes it to trust and vulnerability. He adds, “We were lucky to have rehearsals and many meals together before we began our first day of filming. We both knew we had a lot on our shoulders, given the success of the book, and that was a big motivation for us to be locked in at all times.”
Bringing the Red, White & Royal Blue to the Big Screen
The film, written and directed by Tony Award-winning playwright Matthew López in his directorial debut, also boasts author McQuiston, 32, as an executive producer. Ted Malawer contributed as a co-writer.
López, 46, commends Perez and Galitzine, saying, “They each embody their characters so perfectly while also working effortlessly as a team.” He praises Nick for bringing “a tremendous amount of vulnerability and dignity to Henry,” and lauds Taylor for turning “himself into a human cannonball in order to bring Alex to life.”
Beyond Perez, Galitzine, and Thurman, the cast of Red, White & Royal Blue includes Clifton Collins Jr., Sarah Shahi, Rachel Hilson, Stephen Fry, Ellie Bamber, Thomas Flynn, Malcolm Atobrah, Akshay Khanna, Sharon D Clarke, Aneesh Sheth, and Juan Castano.
Shahi, 43, describes her decision to join the film as a “no-brainer,” confessing that she “fell in love with” the screenplay. She plays Zahra, President Claremont’s deputy chief of staff and right-hand woman. “I was floored by the dialogue,” she expresses, “It didn’t matter that it was a gay love story—it was a bottomless well of relatability.”
The Red, White & Royal Blue starts streaming on Prime Video from August 11.
