Striking Stars No-Show at 'Red, White & Royal Blue' Premiere

Acclaimed playwright and director, Matthew López, stood away from the red carpet lights at the special preview - a premiere in virtually every other sense - of Amazon Prime's new feature, Red, White & Royal Blue, at the BFI Imax theater in London last Thursday. The comedy is an adaptation of Casey McQuiston's bestselling novel, helmed by López, the Tony award recipient for Best Play in 2020 with his drama, The Inheritance.

The evening took an unusual turn with the noticeable absence of the film's leading actors, Nicholas Galitzine (Purple Hearts, Cinderella) and Taylor Zakhar Perez (The Kissing Booth 3, Minx). As López explained, they're presently embroiled in a strike as members of SAG-AFTRA. He similarly highlighted his position on the matter, stating he was on strike as a screenwriter too, but not as a playwright or director.

Later, López took to the stage in the Imax auditorium to highlight Galitzine and Perez's absence and expressed his support for the striking actors, praising their irreplaceability by AI. Backstage, he ventured deeper into the complexities of the situation, denoting the unfortunate state of affairs when a director stands alone without his actors and screenwriters. He was emphatic about resolving the strike for a fair deal from the studios and getting back to work.

López, notwithstanding his promoter roles, refused to have his picture taken at the event. He stipulated that his primary allegiance was to his identity as a writer.

In a candid, unexpected moment, López agreed to have the back of his head photographed when proposed. He cryptically suggested this might be the new normal at imminently pending fall festivals in several notable cities, including Venice, Toronto, and New York.

Despite the missing star power, the venue was bustling with critics, fans, industry creatives, and Amazon executives. The guests at the preview also enjoyed the novelty of being photographed in front of stationary iconic London cab, and with costumed King's Guard mannequins. A vacant press pen and an idle security guard contributed to the unusual atmosphere of the event.

Red, White & Royal Blue features an insightful directorship and sensitive casting initiatives by López. The film explores the romantic kinship between a British royal, Prince Henry (Galitzine) and the son of the U.S. president, Alex (Perez), with Uma Thurman playing the First Lady and Clifton Collins Jr. as the First Dad.

Now, change gears and step into that warmer, witty part of our session. It seemed like a classic case of "the show must go on," didn't it?

López, our keyboard-clad knight, standing tall albeit at a safe distance from the red carpet's lure, was a sight easier witnessed than forgotten, and lets not forget his coy stand on having his portrait taken - and here I thought we were making strides in picture-phobia.

Now, we are too accustomed to seeing the stars of a film on the red carpet, but at this "premiere that wasn’t a premiere", in their stead we got fuller British red tunics and two pairs of bearskin boots. Tradeoffs are real, folks, because all of this underscored by López's poignant words echoing the hallowed auditorium, "actors are irreplaceable by AI." Can I get an Amen to that?

It was an odd jigsaw where the director made the cut, but our stars were MIA. Who would've thought? Because aren’t movie premieres something of an all-hands-on-deck situation? And yet here we were, at a premiere deconstructed to its bare bones, held together by the gumption of an undeterred crew and a steadfast director. The strike gave the event a somber undertone, of course, but gotta say, it also made for some pretty unique tidbits.

The last act of López's play that night was when he spun around for that back-of-the-head snapshot. That move might've provided the most photographic drama we've seen since the advent of the selfie. Almost felt like a showbiz version of a police line-up, didn’t it? We can only guess what festivals will look like when superheroes (err… thespians) take a stand against kryptonite (read: unfair deals).

And let's not forget the main act of the evening, the film, Red, White & Royal Blue. When you throw a British royal, a First Son, Uma Thurman and a First Dad into one cinematic melting pot, you've got a medley even Queen Elizabeth would approve of.

A toast then, to the delicate balance of striking writers, directing duties, and the relentless human spirit intersecting at a pandemic-era "premiere." These really are uncharted waters. Ah, Hollywood - you really do know how to keep us on our toes!