‘Red White & Royal Blue‘, the latest queer rom-com on Amazon Prime starring Taylor Zakhar Perez and Nicholas Galitzine is winning hearts all over the globe. It is an adaptation of 2019’s Casey McQuiston’s bestseller that takes the audience for a spin through a juicy romantic story of the U.S. president’s son Alex Claremont-Diaz and England’s Prince Henry who are enemies-turned-lovers.
Matthew López, the director who co-wrote the screenplay along with Ted Malawer called ‘Red, White & Royal Blue‘ a “wonderful fairy tale for LGBTQ+ audiences who don’t typically get the spotlight”. Despite the appreciation and adoration, Taylor Zakhar received for his portrayal of Alex Claremont-Diaz, the actor was stuck in a ‘hairy situation’.
Taylor Zakhar Perez Put Director Matthew López In An Awkward Situation
During an interview with SiriusXM, ‘Red, White & Royal Blue‘ director Matthew López revealed that Taylor Zakhar Perez was initially skeptical about showing off his natural body hair before shooting one of the film’s most intimate scenes. López recalled that one day on the way to set, he received a phone call from Karen Hartley, his hair and makeup coordinator, who requested that he stop by Perez’s trailer.
The director said, “I go into Taylor’s trailer — we’ve been making this movie for like, five, six weeks at this point — and Karen looks at Taylor and says, Alright, tell him what you told me,’ and he goes, I don’t know if I should shave or not”. At this point López confused for his face and before he could reply, “Taylor lowered his pants and he’s like, Look at my ass, and I’m like, You’re fine, you look great!” López chuckled about the exchange at first but later acknowledged that Perez is a traditionally good-looking actor, but still praised the performer’s willingness to present his natural hairiness on camera. López continued by saying, “A body itself, as it is naturally, is a gorgeous thing. I told Taylor, yeah, just bring your hairy butt to set.”
In case you missed: ‘Red, White And Royal Blue’: This Is How The Story Changed From Novel To The Movie
Why Did ‘Red, White & Royal Blue’ Get An R-Rating?
Matthew López, the director of the gay rom-com was baffled when his film got an R-rating and told People during an interview, “I do question whether or not if it had been a man and a woman, if we’d still gotten an R rating”. Deeply disappointed, López revealed that the MPA cited “some sexual content, partial nudity and language” in its rating.
While talking about the sex scenes between the lead characters, the director said, “I think I was a little surprised at the R rating just because, while I never was encouraged to limit what we were showing or limit what I was depicting, the scene is what I intended to show. It plays exactly how I wanted it to play.”
The Tony winner further added, “I also generally question the MPA’s preference for violence over sexuality, it seems. I think if there had been a scene of violence between them, I could have kept a PG-13 rating, but because they’re having sex and they’re two men, we got an R”.
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