Hunky actor Taylor Zakhar Perez earned international recognition after joining The Kissing Booth cast for its 2020 sequel on Netflix. Now, he’s making headlines again for his impressive performance in the LGBTQ+ romcom Red, White & Royal Blue. The highly-anticipated adaptation of the romance novel by Casey McQuiston earned an impressive 83 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, creating even more buzz around the actor. 

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Who does Perez play in Red, White, & Royal Blue?

The 31-year-old actor plays Alex Claremont-Diaz, the son of the first female president of the United States of America. Also starring in the film is British actor Nicholas Galitzine, who portrays a prince in line for the throne. The two get wrapped up in a scandal after being involved in a public dispute that forces them to engage in a public friendship to save face. As you might imagine, their fake companionship develops into something more, earning the film its notable R-rating. 

The recent release of Red, White, & Royal Blue has boosted the public’s interest in Perez, and many fans are curious about his ethnicity. 

What is Perez’s ethnicity?

In a 2021 interview with Sharp Magazine, Perez shared that he’s of Mexican, Middle Eastern, and Mediterranean descent. The Indiana native shared this information while discussing increased Latin representation in Hollywood and the troubling trend that came with it. 

“They want someone who’s Cuban-specific or Mexican-specific,” he told the magazine. “But when you get into the minutia of their skin color, they’ll say, ‘We need someone darker. This Latin actor is not brown enough.’ It’s very unsettling because I would hate the industry to start saying Latin is [only] dark-brown skin and black hair.”

While he recognizes he can “pass” as other races, Perez advocates for people of color in the industry.