The actor who portrayed Prince William in Lifetime's critically-panned William & Kate: The Movie has defended the film.
Nico Evers-Swindell hit back at critics who rubbished the production, which one described as being "toe-curlingly, teeth-furringly, pillow-bitingly ghastly".
"There's a good reason I'm not reading the reviews," the actor told The Hollywood Reporter. "You're dealing with the golden boy and golden girl of Britain right now.
"This wasn't a British production, Tom Hooper didn't direct this, this isn't The King's Speech. This isn't an in-depth look at the royal family."
He continued: "I don't know [what] anyone could have expected in 30 days of development, from a network that's known for romance. It was always intended to be a fun ride, a light romance, a love story at the heart, and just a jolly good time."
Describing the script as "fun, whimsical and romantic", Evers-Swindell insisted that the film was "built to get people excited" about the royal wedding and to serve as a "nice compliment to the coverage".
Despite a tight filming schedule, which saw Evers-Swindell and Camilla Luddington (Kate Middleton) shoot 12 to 15 hours a day, the actor admitted that it was "an incredible learning experience".
"That's the nature of the beast when making a TV movie. For my first lead role, it was an incredible learning experience," he says.
William & Kate: The Movie premiered on Lifetime on April 18. It will air on Channel 5 at 3:55pm on Sunday, April 24 and be released on DVD on April 25 courtesy of Revolver Entertainment.
Watch the trailer for William & Kate: The Movie below:
> Poll: Are you excited about the royal wedding?
> Q&A: The stars of Lifetime's 'William & Kate'
> Gallery: Lifetime's 'William & Kate' movie
