Fact Check: Was BTS’s J-Hope An Inspiration For A “Red, White & Royal Blue” Character?
Spoiler Alert
Amazon Prime Video debuted the new movie Red, White & Royal Blue in August, a film adaptation of the popular 2019 novel of the same name.
The movie and novel tell the fictional story of Alex Claremont-Diaz (portrayed by Taylor Zakhar Perez), the son of the first female U.S. president, and Prince Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor (portrayed by Nicholas Galitzine), a British prince.
Throughout the movie, their unexpected friendship develops into something more against all odds, positively influencing those around them.
A supporting character in the novel and film is Prince Henry’s best friend, Percy “Pez” Okonjo, portrayed by actor Malcolm Atobrah.
From his first scene, Pez is established as a smooth-talking, charismatic, well-dressed, and confident character, leaving a lasting impression.
While supporting his best friend, Pez forms relationships of his own and is consistently seen in fashion-forward coordinating suits.
In 2019, Katie Rogers, a book blogger who frequently posts to her blog Pages and Pugs, revealed she secured a copy of Red, White & Royal Blue that was annotated by the author, Casey McQuiston.
McQuiston donated the signed annotated copy of the book for a charity auction benefiting RAICES (The Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services). Rogers was the highest bidder and shared some of the annotations with the many Red, White & Royal Blue fans on her blog.
One of the annotations shared came from page 31 of the novel, where McQuiston had written the public figures who inspired the character Percy “Pez” Okonjo, including BTS‘s J-Hope (Jung Hoseok).
Inspirations for Pez include John Boyega, Jung Hoseok, Freckle from ‘The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo.’
— Casey McQuiston
It’s easy to see the inspiration when considering J-Hope’s charming personality, unending talent, trend-setting fashion, and charisma.
Red, White & Royal Blue is an LGBT romance novel, A film adaptation was released on August 11, 2023
inspired by j-hope (Jung Hoseok) :- Percy "Pez" Okonjo is one of the Main character, he is the best friend of Prince Henry. Pez has an upbeat personality, and is very social. + https://t.co/2AV6d9dxLK pic.twitter.com/WylJ9rJxcE
— j-hope Press 🗞️ (@JhopePress) October 1, 2023
J-Hope wasn’t the only BTS member mentioned by the author. BTS’s leader, RM, was named in a conversation between the characters in the novel.
This time not a book Namjoon reads but one he appears in! This is the novel "Red, White and Royal Blue" by Casey McQuiston 📖#RM #NAMJOON #방탄소년단알엠 @BTS_twt https://t.co/kPbkkonJSP pic.twitter.com/ENrUq0Vkbj
— Namjoon's Library⁷ | #JoonInMyBook (@JooniesLibrary) October 9, 2021
The BTS members continue to influence fellow artists and creatives around the world. Last year, award-winning author C.J. Farley named BTS as the inspiration behind his novel Zero O’Clock.
Check out more on that in the article below!
Award-Winning Author C.J. Farley Explains How BTS Inspired The Title And Story Of His New Book
