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Stephen Fry only filmed for a single day on the set of Red, White and Royal Blue – but he was still treated like royalty.
Express Online recently sat down with first-time filmmaker Matthew Lopez about bringing the bestselling novel by Casey McQuiston to screen on Prime Video.
Starring Taylor Zakhar Perez as Alex Claremont-Diaz and Nicholas Galitzine as Prince Henry, the film follows the US president’s son and the heir to the throne of Great Britain going from sworn enemies to secret lovers.
“I got lucky in that [their chemistry] was innate,” Lopez shared.
“We did a chemistry read over Zoom with the two of them and it was evident over Zoom.
“And then we had about two weeks of rehearsals prior to the beginning of production. We realised the chemistry was already there, but those two weeks were allowing those two actors to build some sort of vocabulary together.
“Like, ‘we trust each other implicitly. Now, how do we actually work together and what are our shorthands together?’
“It was like the three of us learning who each other is. So when we got on set we knew how to work together.”
Alongside two up-and-coming lead stars, Red, White and Royal Blue also features Uma Thurman as Alex’s mother President Ellen Claremont and Stephen Fry as Prince Henry’s grandfather, fictional monarch King James III.
Although the film’s two leads were given plenty of time to workshop their on-screen relationship, Fry has over 40 years of experience on the stage and screen.
“We had him for a day,” Lopez revealed. “And I got him before I got Uma [Thurman].
“So, Stephen Fry was the first big star I’ve ever directed. And I was really nervous.
“Not only is he a legend, but he’s also someone I genuinely, personally look up to. And my greatest fear was that I was going to let him down professionally, or he was going to let me down personally.”
Thankfully, not only did the iconic actor and presenter deliver a scene-stealing performance, he was also the perfect gentleman during his limited time on set.
“Neither of us let each other down, I’m very happy to report,” Lopez said.
“We had such a fun day. It was funny because he was Stephen Fry, and we were shooting in England.
“The second he walked on set in that double-breasted suit with that huge height he possesses, everyone on set just treated him like he was the King!
“It was hilarious. There was very little pretending that needed to happen on set. He was a great pro, he was just a lovely, lovely man that everybody was really happy to have join them for a day.”
RED, WHITE & ROYAL BLUE will premiere globally on 11 August, exclusively on Prime Video
