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00:00Hi, everyone. I'm Katie Campione, a TV reporter at Deadline. Thank you for joining us for
00:09Deadline Contenders TV, the nominees. Based on the best-selling novel, Red, White and
00:14Royal Blue stars Taylor Zakhar Perez as Alex Claremont-Diaz, the first son of the United
00:20States, and Nicholas Galitzine as British Prince Henry, who, as they fall in love, must
00:25keep their relationship a secret due to the public nature of their personas. The film
00:30is among Prime Video's three most-watched romantic comedies of all time, and much to
00:34fans' delight, it was recently announced that a sequel is underway. But first, the
00:38original Red, White and Royal Blue is up for Outstanding Television Movie at the 76th Emmy
00:43Awards. With us today, we have producer Sarah Schechter, co-writer, director, and executive
00:48producer Matthew Lopez, and star Taylor Zakhar Perez. Thank you for being here. Before we
00:55get started, let's watch a clip from the film.
01:25I'm fine. How long has this been going on? Since New Year's. Oh God. And who knows about this?
01:35Literally no one but you. And the Secret Service. And Percy. Right, and Nora. Oh, and I told my sister.
01:42Oh, I didn't know that. Yeah, she was really happy for us. Oh, I can't wait to see her again. She's
01:45really great. Okay, shut up, okay? The both of you. I need to think. Taylor, I wanted to start with you.
01:52I've noticed you've talked previously about how you're very different from Alex. And I'm curious
01:57what made you pursue the role and what was the most challenging thing about getting into character?
02:02I felt like I kind of had it easy getting into character because I was able to be
02:07very goofy on set. And though, you know, this was Matthew's first time directing, he was able to get
02:15goofy with me as well. And so it kind of kept everything moving. I feel like where Nick sort of
02:22had to, you know, bring it all back before we started each take. So we just were really goofy
02:30on set. So that was the best part about getting in to Alex. And what made me pursue the role,
02:34somebody sent me the book before they started casting. And they said, like, read this, I think
02:40that you would kick ass at this. And I said, okay. So I read it, and it was just like balling
02:47on my flight back from New York. And then I said, Oh, Mike, I have to meet on this.
02:54Like, this is, it's just so different. It was unlike any other queer romantic comedy that I've
03:02ever seen or heard about or read. And it just felt like there was way more depth. And it was,
03:08there was so much more going on in the world than just the love story. Like they were high
03:13achieving people in this world. And, and you just were rooting for them and their future.
03:20And I just wanted to be a part of it.
03:23For Matthew and Sarah, for both Taylor and Nicholas, when they were auditioning,
03:27what made you realize that they were perfect for the roles?
03:30You know, we saw a lot of people for these roles. And there, there was just something
03:37individually very special about them. They, they sort of vibrated at the same frequency
03:43as the character. And I knew that I, I had each of the, the, the roles cast, I thought, maybe.
03:51And then I think Sarah can talk to their chemistry read, which was the last test that we had to put
03:55them through.
03:56Yeah. I think that Nick emerged very quickly and felt very Henry. It's when you're casting,
04:01you're looking for just really talented actors who also have a sort of essence of the characters,
04:05as Matthew pointed out. And I think Taylor has, I liked that. It was like Taylor,
04:10why you pursue the role. It's also, we pursued you because you sort of pursued it. And then
04:13you're like, and then we were like, no, we need you Taylor. Because I think Alex is like,
04:18very bubbly. He's really smart. He's really charming. He's very winning. And he's very
04:24charming. He's very winning. And I think that's a quality that Taylor has. You just,
04:28you want to spend time with him and you want to be kind of in his energy because Taylor is such
04:32like a wonderful human being. And so in that way, I think he shared a lot with Alex. So for us,
04:37it was like, once we did the chem read, we definitely knew almost immediately, Matthew,
04:41I think we were texting within like 45 seconds. I'm sure that I'm sure it lasted longer than that,
04:46but that's as much as we needed to see that Taylor and Nick would be perfect together.
04:50It was still very heavy COVID times. So Zoom chem reads. And so, you know, of course we weren't
04:56totally sure until Matthew was able to do rehearsals with them. And then when we started
05:00seeing dailies, we definitely knew at that point. And I think it was four months from the initial
05:07meeting to actually getting on set. Yeah.
05:11Yeah. We, we really, we spent months and months casting this thing. And I think there's a period
05:17in which you sort of despair of ever finding the right even forget just the individual you had to,
05:22you had to cast a duo here. And that's that chemistry read was like, I think I was texting
05:29out of camera range on Zoom to Sarah. I'm like, this is them. We found them. The thing I loved
05:34about it is that, you know, Taylor talks about that sense of play that we had on set. And I
05:39remember in their chemistry read, they, they were sort of, they were doing the scene for sure,
05:44but they were also kind of just playing around with each other. And they had a lot of,
05:47they were improvising. And, and I remember thinking like, man, if they can improvise
05:52successfully as a team on Zoom, I can't wait to get in a room with them and start actually working.
05:58So it, you know, for as much as Zoom will tell you something about chemistry, I think that that
06:04really was just like, that was definitely a great advertisement for Zoom as a, as a casting tool.
06:11Oh, Matthew, I know you've said you really value that rehearsal process,
06:15especially coming from theatre. And I'm curious how that rehearsal time with Nick and Taylor
06:21kind of helped shape the film. And if there were any particular scenes where you feel like they
06:27greatly benefited from that rehearsal time? Yeah, I mean, I think that not, it wasn't just
06:33a question of like, looking at the text together and helping them find their characters. I knew
06:38that the process of filmmaking was so different from the process of making theatre that they were
06:42going to have to many times, you know, find the character on the fly and we were going to have
06:47to find it together on set. So it was less a question of preparing the text, less a question
06:53of preparing the performances. And it was just giving the three of us an opportunity to understand
06:58how the other one works. I kind of needed them to have that time over lunch to just talk about
07:04whatever it was, you know, even if it was what they did the night before. And I think it was
07:09really helpful that we built a camaraderie and the two of them sort of really came on set two
07:15weeks later, knowing each other and trusting one another. And I think, you know, my favourite scene
07:21between the two of them is the scene in Alex's bedroom after they hook up for the first time.
07:25And I remember we played around with that in the rehearsal room and we even staged it with
07:31some blocking and I made a video of that. There was just something really, I think something
07:37special about that scene. I think it was one of the most relaxed and lived in performances that
07:41either of them gave in the film. Taylor, do you remember that scene? I do. And that process,
07:49what was it like for you? I do. And I love how Matthew mentioned the play, because sometimes
07:56you get onto sets and you don't have that. It's very rigid and strict and you kind of
08:05lose a bit of that fun. The whole reason that we get into this business is because the feeling you
08:11get when you're doing it. And we were so lucky to be in rehearsals together going through this.
08:16Kensington Palace was one that we really went after like every day. And me and Nick were like,
08:23oh my God, again, again. And Matthew's like, you guys, this is the moment. This is the Everest
08:31moment. I remember doing that with you guys too, because you were sort of like, oh, we don't want
08:35to set it. We don't really, I don't want to, we don't want to rehearse it too much. And I was
08:39like, it's not about setting it. It's about by the time we get to this scene, it's going to be an old
08:42friend and you're not going to even think about it. You know, I was just sort of like getting those
08:47two actors to make friends with the text so that by the time we get to it weeks later on set,
08:52it's in their muscles, it's in their bones. They recall it, they recall it rather than just have
08:57to find it on the day. Yeah. You can really get in and do something different and play against
09:03the lines. And I think that's what Matthew really helped us do was play against what we maybe
09:08thought that scene was. And so doing the first hookup scene and having that awkward, but pleasantly
09:16surprised energy and the nerves. And it was, it was kind of similar to me and Nick meeting,
09:24honestly, because, you know, we're just two people who have never met in person that now have to be
09:30extremely intimate with one another. And, and this, I think it was before Robbie Taylor Hunt
09:35came into onto the scene and it was kind of like, all right, it was the vibe of the room in a way.
09:42So then we kind of held on to that because then when we grew as people, actors, and became friends,
09:49it kind of goes away and you kind of have to lock back into the given circumstances and the
09:54relationship at that point in the film. And, and just remember like what genre you're in.
10:02So the movie premiered almost a year ago today. And during that time, there was a lot of limited
10:08promo due to the actor strike, but somehow we're still here. We're still talking about it. It's up
10:12for an Emmy. Did you expect when it was released that it would have this kind of cultural impact?
10:19I think we hope so. I, you know, look, you never know and you can't be, you can't be too,
10:26have too many expectations, but I think the book is so beloved and the fans of the book are so
10:33adamant that it be sort of respected and loved and appreciated. And so I think that like,
10:39you know, it really started with Casey and their trust in us and, you know, and in myself,
10:45my producing partner, Greg Berlanti, and in Matthew Lopez to sort of adapt it. And I think
10:50we're all very conscious. I mean, when we were in prep, when Nick dyed his hair, he was looking at
10:55like fan art to make sure it was the right color. So I think that it's always, I mean, look, it's
11:02the best possible outcome is that people love the thing that you worked really hard on. But I think
11:07we really were conscientious from the beginning of trying to approach it as fans. And I think when
11:13you approach something as a fan, when you approach it as something that you love, it's contagious,
11:19that love. And I think we're just really grateful. But I think it's really the fans of the movie
11:24that are the, it's, that's the reason why. I mean, people just really loved it. They, I've talked to
11:30so many people who've watched it multiple times. I mean, no one's watched it as much as Matthew,
11:34but like- At this point, I don't know if that's true anymore.
11:38Yeah, I know. It might not be true. I don't know if that's true.
11:40But it really, it has embedded itself into culture in a way that's, you know, beyond our wildest
11:47dreams. And I think it offers a lot of hope. And I think that's what the world needs more of these
11:53days. When I signed on to this project and reading it, going, oh, if it made me feel this way,
12:02I wonder how it's going to make millions and millions of people feel. And I've never signed
12:07on to a project going, oh man, this is going to be nominated for an Emmy. This is going to be
12:11nominated for an Emmy award. You know what I mean? And so this is sort of like the gift that keeps
12:16on giving because we all got into this for the right reasons, because we knew what it represented,
12:22what it represents, and what it could do to a new generation of young people. And I think that has
12:31been incredible to see that response. And I'm sure just Casey is over the moon about it.
12:39Matthew and Sarah, I wanted to ask you about that development process on the first, you know,
12:45the first movie with Casey and taking their ideas from the book and transforming them into a film.
12:51And if you could touch also on how maybe that collaborative process is adapting
12:55with the sequel now that there's no source material to draw from.
12:58Yeah. I mean, just to sort of piggyback on the last answer as well to answer this is,
13:06when we were starting this process, I kept saying that we'll have succeeded at this adaptation if
13:12the movie feels the same way the book felt. If you feel the same way at the end of the film as
13:16you felt finishing the book. I really went into the adaptation process in love with the book myself.
13:24I mean, I knew that there were, you know, hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions of
13:29fans of the book to sort of please and to not disappoint, but I was one of them. And so I had
13:36so much fun just sort of taking the book and imagining it as a film. And so as we're making
13:41the sequel, yeah, you're right. There's no book to guide us. But what we have is Casey's
13:48original thoughts and original ideas. And we have a collaboration that we didn't have on the first
13:54one only except for me and Casey's words. And so that Casey's actually in the room now that Casey's
14:01lifting the pen and writing. It's just it's been so much fun. And it feels like
14:07watching a new book be written except for it's going to be a screenplay instead.
14:12Taylor, I just want to end with you and ask what you're looking forward to about revisiting this
14:16character in this world. Alex just kind of has no rules, you know, even though he comes from a
14:24blue collar family and doesn't come from money and is like really a man of the people. He now
14:31is in this extraordinary circumstance and can kind of have whatever he wants, be with whoever
14:38he wants and dream of whatever he wants. And I'm excited about that. He just is like a has an
14:45endless waterfall of optimism rushing over him at all times. And he has just nonstop positivity.
14:57So I think I'm excited to bring that back to the screen because I think the state of the world
15:02right now, we could use a little bit more of that. Absolutely. Thank you all so much for joining us.