Latest news with #ZakharPerez
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Taylor Zakhar Perez Is Avoiding ‘Red, White & Royal Blue 2' Spoilers: 'I Want Plausible Deniability'
Not even presidential security clearance could get Taylor Zakhar Perez to spoil the upcoming Red, White & Royal Blue sequel. After portraying the president's son Alex Claremont-Diaz in the 2023 Prime Video adaptation of Casey McQuiston's LGBTQ romance novel, the actor explained how he guaranteed 'plausible deniability' when it comes to details of the second installment. More from Deadline Nicholas Galitzine & Taylor Zakhar Perez Returning For 'Red, White & Royal Blue' Sequel 'Red, White & Royal Blue' Star Taylor Zakhar Perez Says He Channeled Mr. Darcy And Ryan Gosling In Rom-Com Hit – Contenders TV Shane Gillis Joins Roster Of Amazon MGM's 'Madden'; Nicolas Cage Plays John Madden 'I purposefully said, 'Please do not share with me anything until we are ready to prep it, because I want plausible deniability,'' Zakhar Perez told Elle. 'I have not read a script, but I hear it's very good.' Last May, Amazon MGM Studios announced they greenlighted development on the sequel after the first became Prime Video's No. 1 movie in its global debut weekend, holding the position for three weeks. Zakhar Perez reunites with Nicholas Galatzine as Prince Henry for the sequel, which also sees writer-director Matthew López returning after making his feature debut with the original, penning the sequel alongside McQuiston. Berlanti Schechter Films' Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter will return to produce the film, joined by the banner's Michael McGrath, as well as López. McQuiston will executive produce. In Red, White & Royal Blue, President Ellen Claremont's (Uma Thurman) son Alex (Zakhar Perez) has an embarrassing encounter with Prince Henry (Galatzine), threatening US/UK relations and his mother's reelection campaign. While attempting to clean up the bad press, the pair is forced to pretend to be best friends, during which the unlikely pair secretly falls in love. Best of Deadline 'The Last of Us' Season 2 Release Schedule: When Do New Episodes Come Out? 'The Last Of Us': Differences Between HBO Series & Video Game Across Seasons 1 And 2 Sean 'Diddy' Combs Sex-Trafficking Trial Updates: Cassie Ventura's Testimony, $10M Hotel Settlement, Drugs, Violence, & The Feds
Elle
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Elle
Taylor Zakhar Perez Spills on 'Red, White & Royal Blue' Sequel
Justin French Coat, shirt, Balmain. For decades, families with talented children have come together to jam out, whether on the global stage, like the Jackson 5 or Haim, or in a more humble manner, like Taylor Zakhar Perez's family of 10. Surrounded by the barn cats that roamed the family's property, Zakhar Perez and his siblings would put on sing-alongs, playing classic tracks from movies or sketch comedy shows. He would play the piano, his sister the violin, and his brother the guitar. With this, Zakhar Perez says, his hunger to perform began: 'It was something I couldn't shake off.' While Zakhar Perez's parents encouraged his artistic bent, he took his own route to Hollywood. His parents ran an auto body shop, while his mother took acting classes on the side. He didn't have any connections in the industry or a breakout childhood role; he had to build his résumé brick by brick. 'Hollywood loves to put people in a box,' he says. 'If you do one thing successfully, then they want you just to do it over, and over, and over again. And so I've been really conscious with my team of making choices that keep me evolving rather than getting typecast.' Zakhar Perez's fight to make it began when he turned down a swimming scholarship at Fordham University to attend UCLA. An excellent swimmer in high school, he took a risk in coming to Los Angeles, pivoting from what had long seemed to be his plan. 'It's an industry where people are always looking for validation, and I think I just had to say, 'I believe in myself, and I can do this, and I'm going to do this,'' he says. 'I just had complete and utter belief.' After starring in smaller 'hot guy' roles in television shows, he earned his first big gig in The Kissing Booth 2 on Netflix, costarring with Jacob Elordi and Joey King. He reappeared in the franchise's third film, and then the HBO series Minx . But the cosmos shifted and his career reached a whole other level when he landed the role of Alex Claremont-Diaz in the Prime Video adaptation of Casey McQuiston's novel Red, White & Royal Blue . Zakhar Perez starred as the son of the president of the United States, who falls in love with a prince of England, played by Nicholas Galitzine. Justin French Sweater, shirt, Gucci. The steamy novel is beloved as one of the first big breakout queer romantic comedies, and gained a rabid community on BookTok. 'I read the book when I had the first meeting...I had no idea what it was,' he says. 'People were like, 'This is huge on TikTok. People are talking about this,' and I said, 'Okay, I'm not on there.' I mean, I have videos, but I haven't posted in so long, because it's just this endless pit of entertainment.' 'I want a career that I'm proud of, not one that just checks all the right boxes.' The frenzy began well before the movie premiered; after Zakhar Perez was cast as Alex, fans began stitching together clips of his and Galitzine's past roles to form a love story. 'I travel around the world quite I have never been stopped more than I was for that film,' he says. 'People lined up outside of a hotel in Paris to get a picture, because they loved Alex Claremont-Diaz so much. That speaks volumes about what these two characters mean to those who watch it.' He notes that the story was especially impactful among the Latin and queer communities. 'I'm very particular about projects I do, because I want to do films and TV that have something [to say]. Being able to do a romantic comedy that fit that bill was really special,' he says. 'People in their 60s and 70s tell wish they had this kind of movie when they were younger. So this isn't a project I take for granted.' Justin French Coat, shirt, Balmain. Trousers, Dsquared2. Watch, Cartier. Socks, Falke. Loafers, Ferragamo. Red, White & Royal Blue was released on Prime without the planned press tour, because of the SAG-AFTRA strike, but it nevertheless shot to number one and stayed there for three weeks. According to Amazon, it is still one of their top three most-viewed romantic comedies. Now, two years later, a sequel is on the horizon. Both Zakhar Perez and Galitzine are set to return, but by design, he knows next to nothing about the project so far. 'I purposefully said, 'Please do not share with me anything until we are ready to prep it, because I want plausible deniability,'' Zakhar Perez jokes. 'I have not read a script, but I hear it's very good.' Meanwhile, he's also been dipping a toe in the fashion world, sitting in the front row during fashion weeks and recently starring in a viral Lacoste underwear campaign (for those wondering, he spends about an hour in the gym a day, seldom drinks, and thinks twice about the food he puts in his body). Moving forward in his career, he plans on being selective with his projects, hopes to experiment in other film genres, and has plans to foray behind the camera. 'I just got the life rights to somebody that I'm very excited about. I'm flexing a different muscle,' he says. 'I want a career that I'm proud of, not one that just checks all the right boxes.' Hair by Sami Knight for Rehab ; makeup by Alexandra French at Forward Artists; manicure by Jolene Brodeur at the Wall Group; produced by Anthony Federici at Petty Cash Production; photographed at Malibu Creek Ranch. A version of this story appears in the Summer 2025 issue of ELLE. Related Stories
