- Taylor stars in the film adaptation of Red, White & Royal Blue.
- Taylor rose to fame in The Kissing Booth 2.
- Taylor is from Chicago.
Taylor Zakhar Perez has been one of the new stars in Hollywood to watch for years now, and he’s having a truly breakout moment with Red, White & Royal Blue. The 31-year-old actor stars as Alex Claremont-Diaz, the First Son of the United States, who falls in love with a British prince. The highly-anticipated film, based on Casey McQuiston’s best-seller, will premiere August 11 on Prime Video.
Taylor has starred in many notable projects over the last few years. This dreamy hunk is about to take Hollywood by storm. Get up to speed on all things Taylor as Red, White & Royal Blue makes millions of viewers swoon.
Taylor is one of the leads of Red, White & Royal Blue.
Casey McQuiston published Red, White & Royal Blue in 2019, and the book became an instant hit. Readers immediately started fan casting Alex and Prince Henry. Taylor and Nicholas Galitzine were officially announced as the actors who would portray Alex and Prince Henry in June 2022. “What an unbelievable honor to bring Alex Claremont-Diaz to the big screen. We won’t let you down,” Taylor captioned an Instagram post about his casting.
In the book and film, Alex is a bisexual Mexican-American. He is the son of President Claremont, the first female president of the United States, played by Uma Thurman. The film was directed by Matthew Lopez.
Taylor intially thought he would pursue a medical career.
Taylor swam competively growing up and was even offered a swimming scholarship. He turned it down to go to UCLA and study biology. His intention was to go into dermatology. “It killed my dad for a long time,” Taylor told GQ about his decision to turn away from a medical profession. “I guess a lot of my choices may [have].”
Taylor recently lost his sister.
The actor announced on June 4, 2023, that his beloved older sister, Kristy, had passed away. “Losing my oldest sister has plunged me into a realm of profound sorrow and longing. She was not just a sibling, but a pillar of strength, guidance, and unwavering support in my life. Kristy taught us compassion, patience, and unconditional love. She was the eldest sibling of 8, she watched all of us come into this world, but sadly we had to watch her leave it. The voice left by her absence is immense, and every day feels like a struggle to navigate a world that seems less vibrant without her,” part of his statement read.
He captioned his post, “She was the proudest sister, knew every quote, dance, and song from my projects, and was so looking forward to seeing RWRB that I can’t imagine it premiering without her. She will remain our guide walking with us through life and celebrating us as we continue to grow with her in spirit.”
Taylor bared (almost) all in Minx.
One of his most notable projects right after The Kissing Booth movies was the TV series Minx. The actor stripped down for his role as a sexy firefighter who becomes the cover model for a feminist magazine. Taylor famously wore a prosthetic penis in his nude scenes, but he’s not opposed to full frontal nudity.
“I’m all for it. If the project and the scenes call for it, why not?” Taylor told EW. “But I think just to throw a bare-chested woman or ass-out guy into the scene without it making sense, then it’s gratuitous and takes away from the quality of the content.”
Taylor can sing.
Taylor proved that right away in The Kissing Booth 2 when his character, Marco, performed The Romantics hit “What I Like About You” while playing the guitar. Taylor was not a guitar player before The Kissing Booth 2. He spent hours honing his skills before filming began.