Fans of young adult romcoms The Kissing Booth and Red White & Royal Blue will be familiar with Taylor Zahkar Perez, who is one of two 2024 SAG Ambassadors. Here is everything we know about the budding actor who is a big fan of sustainable fashion…
© VALERIE MACONWho is Taylor Zahkar Perez?
Taylor was born in Chicago on December 24, 1991, and grew up in Chesterton, Indiana. He is one of eight children, and as a teenager he worked in the family's auto-body shop while also competing in high school as a swimmer.
Thanks to his skills in the pool he earned a swimming scholarship to Fordham University, but turned it down to attend UCLA, where he majored in Spanish culture and community and minored in film and television.
How old is Taylor Zahkar Perez?
Taylor is 32, and will turn 33 in 2024.
Who is Taylor Zahkar Perez's partner?
Taylor has never shared details of his dating history with fans or on social media. “I’m a huge fan of dating your friend, someone you know and trust, because that’s where it all starts, right?" he once told Us Weekly.
“Life’s short and you want to make sure you are spending it with the best people. I’m so much more turned on by emotional intimacy than sexual intimacy at first. I love that.”
He was once rumored to be dating Joey King, whom he starred with in The Kissing Booth, but the two are best friends; he attended her 2023 wedding to Steven Piet.
© Stefanie KeenanCan Taylor Zakhar Perez sing?
Taylor sang in Netflix film The Kissing Booth 2, surprising fans, but it was his real voice and it was also him playing the guitar.
He shared in interviews for the film that he practiced constantly, because he was so nervous and embarrassed.
"That was me actually playing guitar,” he told Variety. “I was so nervous. And initially when I started singing it, it was too high for me. I was like, ‘This is really hard to sing.’ It was very embarrassing at first, and it was like I was getting my sea legs.”
What TV shows and films is Taylor Zahkar Perez in?
Taylor made his debut in 2012 in iCarly, and also made guest appearances in Suburgatory, Awkward, and the unaired pilot for a TV series set on Cruel Intentions. In 2020 he starred alongside Joey King and Jacob Elordi in The Kissing Booth 2 on Netflix, creating a love triangle between the main character Elle and her boyfriend Noah.
He also appeared in the third film The Kissing Booth 3, and the Amazon film 1Up in 2022.
© Jonathan PrimeIn the same year he raised eyebrows when he took a big career leap appearing in HBO drama Minx as Shane, the fireman who decides to appear as the first nude centerfold for a magazine focusing on the female gaze. His role saw him transform from a dumb jock to a man who discovered the importance of feminism and equality between the sexes – as well as going fully nude for the scenes, although Taylor was not afraid to admit that he used prosthetics.
In 2023 Taylor was cast as Alexander Claremont-Diaz, the first son of the President of the United States in the Amazon adaptation of Casey McQuiston's best-selling novel Red, White & Royal Blue. The film was a huge success and has seen Taylor's star rise.
What do SAG ambassadors do?
© Instagram"SAG Awards Ambassadors are actors who exemplify the utmost values of the profession and are positive role models for the next generation of performers," says the Guild. "These individuals actively use their platform to advocate for humanitarian and public service endeavors."
They help promote the SAG Awards, assist with various events leading up to the ceremony, and participate in media appearances in the days before.
Taylor works closely with Livia Firth's sustainability company Eco-Age in encouraging followers to be mindful about where their clothes come from, and he has taken part in various supply chain trips to raise awareness for their Filter by Fabric initiative.
"In recent years there has been a huge push for food traceability and transparency (and we got it!), but why not for the clothing that we put on our bodies everyday? A lot of the fancy names on our tags or words describing them (silky, fleece, mesh, etc) mean a couple of startling things, they’re most likely petroleum & plastic based products," he shared in October.
Months earlier in another social media post, he shared: "I wanted to know more about where our stuff comes from; what it’s made of, where it’s sourced from, and how many hands touch it before it lands in our stores. It was a lot to unpack. Since then I’ve been to a regenerative cotton farm, a diamond mine, and got to follow wool from the farm to the factory and finally to tailor shop. Wild w/ lots of jet lag but totally worth it."
"I am not an expert, nor do I think I ever will be, but hopefully you find it interesting enough to stop and think again when we are buying something to put on our body. We do it with food, why not with our clothing?" he added.
