How Red, White & Royal Blue Is Breaking the Mold of Rom-Coms

The 2020s are the era for queer rom-coms. After years of sitting on the sidelines, the LGBTQ community is finally getting the mainstream rom-coms they deserve. Amazon Prime Video’s overnight hit Red, White & Royal Blue is a testament to that.

Also read: Red, White & Royal Blue Is the Cheesy Romcom That the Queer Community Deserved Decades Ago

By every measure, Red, White & Royal Blue’s mere existence is radical. The movie never tries to position itself as wildly liberal or revolutionary, which is part of its charm. It’s just another love story between two people of the same sex, and that in itself is breaking the mold of today’s rom-coms.

“I think now we’re in an era where we’re seeing more queer stories being told,” says Nicholas Galitzine, who plays Prince Henry in the film. “Heartstopper and Young Royals have been a great success.”

Like Heartstopper, Red, White & Royal Blue is based on a wildly popular romance novel of the same name. Queer romances have taken the romance novel industry by storm, proving the demand for such material, and their adaptations into mainstream TV and film have been a long time coming.

“Beyond the queer love story itself, this is a story of a couple of people who are trapped by circumstance, by upbringing, by responsibility and how that can get in the way of love,” says Galitzine. “I think that’s a very universal feeling as well. So, it's both modern and new and traditional.”

In an age where self-awareness is the norm, queer stories like Red, White & Royal Blue need to exist to reach those who can’t connect to straight stories.

“I had someone share that when they saw the film, people cheered multiple times and were cracking up throughout it. He felt like it was such a unique, special experience that doesn’t happen all of the time,” says Taylor Zakhar Perez, who plays Alex Diaz. “I think that is a testament to Casey’s brilliance as a writer, to Matthew Lòpez and Ted Malawer who adapted it, and to the cast.”

Representation might be another overused buzzword in Hollywood, but in the case of Red, White & Royal Blue, it lives up to its hype.

“It is incredible to see the representation in the film that spans gender, sexuality, and race both in front of and behind the camera,” says Perez. “All of these choices feel extremely intentional and knowing the visibility that this film is going to have is so exciting.”

Calling the movie “a classic love story with a twist that transcends sexuality,” Perez hopes that people leave the film with “a sense of compassion for people who aren’t like them and also have a better understanding of your role in somebody else’s life.”

Perez adds, “If you don’t relate to the characters, maybe there is someone else in your life that does and this film helps you bring a greater sense of kindness and understanding to your relationship.”

Red, White & Royal Blue is now streaming exclusively on Amazon Prime Video in the Philippines.