Taylor Zakhar Perez Talks ‘Heated Rivalry’ and ‘Red, White & Royal Blue’ Similarities: A Beautiful Tale!

While fans of LGBTQ romantasy eagerly anticipate new installments of Heated Rivalry and Red, White & Royal Blue, Taylor Zakhar Perez draws parallels between the two popular series.

Taylor Zakhar Perez, who portrays Alex Claremont-Diaz, the son of the U.S. president in the forthcoming Prime Video adaptation Red, White & Royal Wedding, confessed to having watched “a few episodes” of the Crave/HBO Max’s series based on Rachel Reid’s Game Changers books.

“I never really considered it much,” he shared with GQ regarding whether the success of the show influenced his thoughts on his own film adaptation of Casey McQuiston’s 2019 novel. “I noticed a lot of similar themes from Red, White in Heated Rivalry. They resonate so well because they focus not just on sexual aspects, but deeply on intimacy. We yearn for intimacy as it tends to be more enduring than mere physical attraction.”

Perez added, “They crafted a truly beautiful narrative over an extended period. It’s so universal. It speaks to the deep-seated yearning one might feel for another—perhaps an unattainable love—and what it takes to either surpass those challenges or to give in completely to one another.”

The follow-up to Red, White & Royal Blue was initially announced in May 2024, with Perez suggesting that filming could start by 2026.

Following the renewal of Heated Rivalry for a second season, series creator Jacob Tierney revealed to Deadline that it would draw from The Long Game, the only other book in the series currently focusing on characters Ilya and Shane. Reid’s continuation of the story, Unrivaled, is set to resume on September 29. Star Connor Storrie hinted that shooting for the new season might kick off by summer.