‘Red, White & Royal Blue’ director reveals Taylor Zakhar Perez had a hilariously awkward NSFW request

Red, White & Royal Blue might already be a week into its reign, but don’t fret — director Matthew López clearly has plenty of behind-the-scenes info to share. This time around, he chose to recall a hilariously intimate experience he shared on set with Taylor Zakhar Perez.

López spoke with SiriusXM about preparing to film a scene in which Perez’s character, Alex Claremont-Diaz, bares his behind to the camera as he frantically tries to dress himself after he and Henry (Nicholas Galitzine) are found in bed. Although the scene is brief, it apparently involved a bit of deliberation between López and Perez. It’s best to hear the story in López’s words:

“I go into Taylor’s trailer — we’ve been making this movie for like, five, six weeks at this point — and Karen [Hartley, hair and makeup designer for Red, White, & Royal Blue] looks at Taylor and says, ‘Alright, tell him what you told me.’ And he goes, ‘I don’t know if I should shave or not.’ I’m like, ‘Your face?’ and he goes, ‘No, babe.’ I’m like, ‘Alright, well, what do you want to do about it?’ He goes, ‘Just look, okay?’ So, I had my hair and makeup person there as the chaperone, because I didn’t want my career to end before it began, and Taylor, like, lowers his pants and he’s like, ‘Look at my ass,’ and I’m like, ‘You’re fine, you look great!'”

This isn’t the first time López has spoken about Red, White, & Royal Blue‘s intimate scenes. The director, who is openly gay, has spoken at length about the movie’s central sex scene. According to López, it was important to him to demonstrate authenticity between the two leads, and many gay reviewers have had particular praise for that aspect of the movie.

Perez’s comfort with López speaks well of the production; López notes Perez approached him first, and that they were never alone during the moment. The movie also employed intimacy coordinator Robin Taylor Hunt, also an openly gay man, to ensure that its leads had a comfortable experience. It’s also just a funny little reminder that sex scenes are incredibly un-sexy behind-the-scenes.

Of course, it also showcases the lengths Perez is willing to go to get the scene right. Not every actor can say they would take a crack at that.