After months of offering teases and anticipation, Prime Video debuted the first full look at its queer rom-com with plenty to offer audiences.
Based on the bestselling novel by Casey McQuiston, Red, White & Royal Blue is a rivals-to-lovers romance between Alex (Taylor Zakhar Perez), the First Son, and Prince Henry (Nicholas Galitzine), a member of the U.K.’s Royal Family as they fake a friendship for the public eye after a scandalous collision, catch real feelings, and navigate a secret relationship, the existence of which could have international ramifications.
The trailer handily captures the level of romance and fluff McQuiston’s novel depicted.
But perhaps the great divide of RW&RB comes not from the central couple but from one of the major supporting characters.
Uma Thurman plays President Ellen Claremont (the U.S.’s first female president who is also Alex’s mom), and according to McQuiston, Ellen—a Democrat from Texas—is inspired by Wendy Davis. But to encompass that part of the character, Thurman is putting on an incredibly distinct accent that’s attempting a Texas drawl but might’ve landed somewhere north.
Is it great? Absolutely terrible? So bad it’s actually good? We’ve seen the gambit.
“What in Meryl Streep’s name is going on with Uma’s accent here?” Aubrey Gilleran tweeted.
But for some, the very fact that Thurman is in a movie like this at all is a win, even if she wasn’t people’s first choice for the role.
But it’s not the only queer love story based on a beloved property that will play on our screens next month: Heartstopper’s second season drops in August, too.
Red, White & Royal Blue will arrive on Prime Video on Aug. 11.
