LOS ANGELES (AP) — When “Red, White & Royal Blue” debuted last summer, it did so without fanfare or spectacle, landing amid historic Hollywood strikes that prevented its stars from promoting the movie. However, the lack of publicity did not stop it from becoming a hit with audiences. The streaming service reported it as the top-watched film on its platform for weeks, bringing in a surge of subscribers. With the success of the movie, the studio recently announced a sequel was in the works, despite production delays due to the strikes.

Stars Nicholas Galitzine and Taylor Zakhar Perez found the organic fanbase of the film especially meaningful due to its role in queer storytelling. Perez mentioned, 'After filming and getting some space from it is when I really realized what this was going to do for the community. And people outside of the community. It just provides empathy, you know?'

The film, directed by Matthew Lopez, is based on the bestselling novel by Casey McQuiston. It tells a hate-turns-to-love story about a British prince who has a secret romantic affair with the son of the American president.

Galitzine, who starred in another Amazon rom-com “The Idea of You,” found similarities in themes between the two films, even though they are set in different locations. He shared, 'I find people who are trapped by circumstance really interesting. People may be thinking they’re one way, but not really sort of knowing their inner qualities and thoughts. I think that’s kind of been a recurring thing I’ve found quite interesting over the years.'

Despite containing fewer sex scenes than the novel, “Red, White & Royal Blue” received an R rating from the Motion Picture Association, which surprised both Galitizine and Perez. They agreed with critics who believed the rating wasn't warranted. Perez commented, 'You Americans are very sensitive. If you have queer romance on screen, it’s rated R.'