midnight snacc

Here’s why everyone’s drooling over Taylor Zakhar Perez before they’ve even seen ‘Red, White & Royal Blue’

By · 12 comments · Updated on January 26, 2024
Taylor Zakhar Perez wearing a black vest on a New York City rooftop
Image Credit: Getty Images

Have you heard that loud buzz off in the distance? You know, the one that started off as a soft hum, but has only gotten more unavoidable with each passing day?

Well, don’t be alarmed—not yet at least: It’s just the rapidly intensifying thirst for actor Taylor Zakhar Perez, which some experts are predicting could reach unprecedented levels of lust with the arrival of Red, White & Royal Blue this week.

On August 11, the film adaptation of Casey McQuiston’s best-selling novel arrives on Prime Video, which had the unenviable job of casting two romantic leads who could live up to the fantasy versions readers have conjured up in their heads.

Well, by all accounts, they nailed it. Even before they’ve seen the film, fans are fawning over Perez and Nicholas Galitzine, who play America’s “First Son” Alex Claremont Diaz and the U.K.’s Prince Henry, respectively.

But it’s Perez, in particular, who seems to have the thirst meters running off the charts, and it’s not hard to see why: The man is positively jacked—and he’s not shy about showing off. Case in point:

Screenshot: Instagram Story, @taylorzakharperez

The 31-year old has been performing his entire life, but started booking on-screen roles just over a decade ago, with appearances in TV shows like iCarly, Suburgatory, Awkward., and Scandal.

His biggest break came in 2020 when he joined The Kissing Booth 2, the second entry in Netflix‘s hit teen romance trilogy. His role as potential love interest Marco (also appearing in The Kissing Booth 3) immediately solidified his heartthrob status.

Related:

‘Red, White, & Royal Blue’ star Taylor Zakhar Perez is too sexy for his shirt at Prada fashion show

Perez put his fit physique on display as he rolled up completely shirtless to the Prada Spring/Summer 2024 Menswear fashion show in Milan.

Then, the thirst went nuclear in 2022, with his guest arc on the sex comedy Minx, which tells the story of the creation of the first-ever erotic magazine for women. He had everybody sitting up straight (and then some) with his role as firefighter-turned-model Shane, who was notably very well-endowed, and not afraid to show it off.

(Perez, for his part, spoke openly about his use of prosthetics for the role, but that doesn’t make what we do see any less eye-popping.)

And now he graduates to proper leading man—in a gay rom-com, no less—with Red, White & Royal Blue. His character, Alex, is the son of Democratic U.S. President Ellen Claremont, and has political aspirations of his own, intent on bettering the lives of his mother’s constituents. He’s strikingly handsome, savvy, and skilled at charming his way in or out of any situation. In other words, Perez is perfect for the part.

With the arrival of the film’s official trailer and each successive clip and promotional image, folks are falling harder and harder for Perez in the role. A quick search on Twitter/X, and there are already plenty of “fan cam” edits and thirsty posts about his take on Alex Claremont-Diaz. (Mind you, the film still isn’t even out yet!)

Here are just a few:

In an interview with Newsweek (conducted prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike), Perez admits he does feel a huge amount of pressure to play such a beloved character, but is already feeling the love from fans, including the LGBTQ+ community, which he worked hard to authentically represent, especially in the film’s standout sex scenes.

Speaking of, he also shares a funny anecdote in which his mom called him, worried about how “sexual” he’d be in the movie:

“She called me and she was like, ‘Taylor. I am a quarter way through this book. It is very risqué.’ I’m like, ‘Mom, what are you talking about?’ She’s like, ‘Oh my God. There’s so many sex scenes. There’s so much sexual stuff.’ I go, ‘Mom. You watched me on Minx. There’s flailing genitalia in that show.’ And she goes, ‘Yeah, but I think it’s just so descriptive in this book about how sexual you are with different people that I can’t read it and not think of my son being sexual.’

Well, we’re sorry to say, Mrs. Zakhar Perez, but from the looks of it, you’re going to have to get used to people saying all sorts of salacious things about your son. Because, if folks aren’t obsessed with him already, they sure will be after Red, White & Royal Blue drops on August 11.

In the meantime, Perez is only fueling that fire, posting sexy pic after sexy pic on his Instagram. Scroll down below to see a few of our favorites. And… bring a towel.

Related:

5 more shows to stream that feature full-frontal male nudity

Because you just can’t have enough.

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