'Red, White & Royal Blue' star gives honest take on 'Heated Rivalry'

Taylor Zakhar Perez is pointing out similarities between Red, White & Royal Blue and Heated Rivalry.

Taylor played U.S. president’s son Alex Claremont-Diaz opposite Nicholas Galitzine’s British Prince Henry. The movie followed the uptight and well-mannered Prince’s run in and romantic arc with the carefree Alex.

Taylor told GQ he’s "seen a few episodes" of Heated Rivalry.

He was asked if it made him think about his own gay romance adaptation of Casey McQuiston’s 2019 book.

"I haven’t really thought about it. I saw a lot of the same elements of Red, White in Heated Rivalry. I think they work so well because it wasn’t just about sex, it was so much about intimacy—and we crave intimacy because it’s a lot less fleeting than sex is," he explained.

The Kissing Booth star added, "I think they told a really beautiful story over a long period of time. That made it very universal. Anyone can watch it and relate to that type of longing that you have for somebody—maybe it’s like a forbidden love—and what you have to do to either overcome that hurdle or just crash into each other and say yes."

Red, White & Royal Blue is set to get a sequel, titled Red, White & Royal Wedding. The movie is expected to film this year.

Meanwhile, Heated Rivalry has been renewed for another season, which will be based on The Long Game by Rachel Reid.