Matthew López deserves the royal treatment for his work in telling queer stories on stage & screen
first Latino to win a Tony for Best Play, for The Inheritance, a two-part production about the effects of the AIDS epidemic on modern gay life.Two years later in 2023, López made his directorial debut with Prime’s mega-popular LGBTQ+ rom-com, Red, White and Royal Blue.
The film, based on Casey McQuiston novel of the same name, tells the story of Alex (Taylor Zakhar Perez), the first son of the United States who, through a series of royal shenanigans, ends up falling for Henry (Nicholas Galitzine), a British prince.Subscribe to our newsletter for a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.Upon its release on Amazon Prime, the movie became a juggernaut hit – becoming the No.
1 movie globally on the streamer during its premiere weekend, and continuing to chart in the top 10 movies weeks after its release.
But more importantly, the film was praised for its LGBTQ+ and Latino representation – something that didn’t exist when López was younger.“This was the movie I needed to see, that I didn’t get to see when I was younger,” he told QBurgh on why he felt the need to make the film. “And I say that not to self-aggrandize, but this is the story that I needed to see.
