Galitzine also had a taste of life as a pop heartthrob courtesy of his boot camp-style preparation for the role: three weeks of dance rehearsals and recording in Sweden with vocal coach to the stars Eric Vetro. (“We did seven songs in two days, which was hectic.”) Did he take inspiration from anyone currently in the charts? “I’d say maybe in the choreography we did look at BTS, because they have such a coolness about them. But really, in terms of references, we kind of relied on our chemistry as a group.”
Galitzine’s CV to date—peppered with Prince Charmings and high-school jocks—has seen him ascend swiftly to the top tier of internet boyfriends. Things ramped up last summer with the release of the gay romance Red, White & Royal Blue on Prime Video, which finds Galitzine’s English Prince Henry falling for the son of the president, played by Taylor Zakhar-Perez. This romp was followed a month later by Emma Seligman’s surreal high school comedy Bottoms, in which he starred alongside Ayo Edebiri and Rachel Sennott. Galitzine’s performance as the handsome but dumb philandering jock, Jeff, underscored his potential as a sexy leading man with a sense of humor.
Then came Mary & George, in which Galitzine stars opposite another Oscar-winner, Julianne Moore, as the real-life George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham and lover and confidant of King James. Propelled by his scheming mother, Mary (Moore), George manages to seduce the monarch and become one of the most powerful figures in Jacobean England. “[It] was an opportunity to do something unfamiliar to me—a period piece—that was edgy and challenging,” he says. It was also a critical smash. “The way critics and audiences have taken to it has been so exciting,” says Galitzine, who is quick to credit his co-star. “Julie is one of the most gracious, talented, brilliant people I’ve ever met.”
Where to next after this stellar run? Galitzine is staying tight-lipped—but he will say he’s feeling lucky. “There’s gonna be a continuation of iconic co-stars in the next couple of projects,” he teases. “You’ll have to wait and see.”