Taylor Zakhar Perez has peeled back the curtain on his close bond with Nicholas Galitzine.
Back in August 2023, the two dreamy talents starred in the film adaptation of Casey McQuiston’s acclaimed novel Red, White & Royal Blue.
Directed by Matthew López, the Prime Video feature follows the passionate enemies-to-lovers romance between Alex (Zakhar Perez), the son of America’s first female president (Uma Thurman), and Henry (Galitzine), a British prince.
Upon its release, Red, White & Royal Blue received universal acclaim for its faithfulness to the source material and the electric chemistry between Zakhar Perez and Galitzine.
The heartfelt rom-com also earned a certified fresh score of 75% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Since appearing in the beloved film, Zakhar Perez and Galitzine’s stars have skyrocketed – with the latter recently making waves for his roles in Mary & George and The Idea of You.
On 12 December, Entertainment Weekly named the Handsome Devil star one of their Entertainers of the Year for 2024.
To celebrate Galitzine’s recent accomplishments, Zakhar Perez teamed up with the news outlet to pay tribute to his co-star and friend.
“Having had the privilege of sharing the screen with him in [Red, White & Royal Blue], I can say firsthand that his talent and dedication are evident in everything he does,” he said at the start of his statement.
“Behind every “overnight success” are years of hard work, and Nicholas’ journey, spanning more than a decade, is a testament to his perseverance and passion for his craft.”
Zakhar Perez then reflected on meeting Galitzine for the first time – which took place during thier first rehearsal for Red, White & Royal Blue.
“Everyone graciously gave us space and time to chat and connect, allowing us to find our rhythm before diving into the work. Contrary to popular belief, we rarely get to choose our co-stars, and this project was no exception,” he continued.
“That made this time together even more valuable, knowing we’d be spending the next three months filming and then the following year promoting the movie.”
In addition to understanding the “gravity” of doing justice to the beloved book, the Minx star said that he and Galitzine bonded over their shared love for travel, music and passion for acting.
“In this job, you have to be emotionally vulnerable and willing to drop the masks quickly, diving into the authenticity,” he explained.
“That’s exactly what we did. Sitting in that room about to film a major movie, we had a quiet moment of recognition: “We’re in this together.” It was such a cool shared moment, one I’ll never forget.”
Elsewhere in his piece, Zakhar Perez fondly recalled shooting the film’s beloved wedding cake scene and the wholesome texts they shared about it, adding that it “really solidified our friendship.”
“After that, I knew we’d be friends for a long time – whether he liked it or not, he wasn’t getting rid of me that easily,” he said.
Toward the end of his tribute, Zakhar Perez lauded Galitzine for his work ethic before expressing gratitude for their friendship off camera.
“Getting to know the real Nicholas, beyond work and the business, has been incredible,” he said.
“He’s someone I genuinely enjoy spending time with, both on and off set, and we’ve built a brotherhood-like friendship, which is something extremely rare in this line of work.”
Zakhar Perez’s tribute for Galitzine comes a few months after Prime Video greenlit a sequel to Red, White & Royal Blue.
Stay tuned for more updates regarding the highly anticipated sequel.
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