Sophia Michaels
If you’re a fan of Tia Williams, then you’re probably over the moon that her romance novel “The Perfect Find” has been turned into a Netflix movie. The film, which hit the streamer on June 23, stars Gabrielle Union and Keith Powers as Williams’s characters Jenna and Eric — who serendipitously fall in love as 40 and 20-something-year-old coworkers at Stylezine, a fashion empire run by Jenna’s frenemy boss and Eric’s mom, Darcy (played by Gina Torres in the film). Numa Perrier directed the movie with Union on board as one of the producers.
As expected, Perrier’s adaptation takes some liberties with Williams’s story while still staying true to its core plot: Jenna’s pursuit of love and a fresh career start. It’s a challenge the director says she thoroughly enjoyed tackling. “I really love working with a book and adapting that. I love having that base to go back to,” Perrier tells POPSUGAR. “So for me, having the book as the anchor to be able to dive back into and find the little nuances in there, that’s very helpful to me. I don’t so much look at having the book as an obstacle. I look at it as a big source of support for me as I’m figuring things out, and then I let my imagination fly from there.”
“I wanted to really keep that intact because I feel like it’s something we can all connect to.”
Rest assured, “The Perfect Find” book-lovers, Perrier confirms she still kept two major things the same in her version of William’s romantic tale — which are also the plot points that deeply resonated with her. “That very thing that I related to, a woman of a certain age needing to reinvent herself or get back to herself; find herself again after suffering some pretty big blows,” Perrier explains. “Love and work mean a lot to most people, and so having to figure out what your next steps are and what the next chapter of your life looks like, I wanted to really keep that intact because I feel like it’s something we can all connect to.”
Perrier also made sure to include those super spicy moments between Jenna and Eric. Perrier says, “The book is very steamy and doesn’t shy away from those intimate moments. And so I said, when we do have those kisses, those kisses got to sizzle — every single one.” And Union and Powers share a lot. “In directing Gab and Keith, I would say, ‘OK, I feel like this kiss was like this,'” Perrier says, motioning a simple peck. “‘I need it to be like this,'” she adds, gesturing a juicy smooch.
She continues, “We had our ways of communicating with each other and they have so much great chemistry, and they were so game to really milk it. So yeah, the sensuality, the intimacy, and that pathway of a woman trying to get back to herself, those are the things that mattered most.”
Keep reading ahead for a full breakdown of all the biggest differences between “The Perfect Find” novel and the movie.
