To say that sparks fly in The Perfect Find is a wild understatement. Gabrielle Union and Keith Powers light up the screen with their blazing chemistry in Numa Perrier’s adaptation of Tia Williams’ novel of the same name. You might even need sunglasses to watch the trailer, which sets up a modern love story that’s destined to become a classic. 

When Union’s Jenna Jones returns to New York a year after her latest breakup and career setbacks were splashed across the tabloids, she’s ready to start over, even if it means working for longtime rival Darcy Hill (Gina Torres) at her popular fashion magazine, Darzine. But Jenna’s life reset gets complicated fast when she’s charmed by the much younger Eric (Keith Powers), only to find out that he’s the boss’s son. Like Jenna, Eric is also searching for something new as he tries to find the confidence to strike out on his own. Can they overcome their differences and navigate the tricky waters of the future together? Or will career concerns trump their steamy love affair?

Best known for his breakout roles in The New Edition Story, Famous in Love and the 2015 film Straight Outta Compton, Powers tells Tudum that he jumped at the opportunity to star in a rom-com — a genre he’s a huge fan of. (Someone Great and No Strings Attached are two of his favorites.) Ahead, he teases what to expect from his new movie and the secret to his and Union’s unbelievable chemistry.

Alyssa Longchamp/Netflix

Introduce Eric to us. What’s going on with him when we first meet him, and how does he evolve over the course of the movie?

You meet Eric through Jenna’s POV. He’s the videographer for Darzine, [and] he’s  trying to work for his mom until he can go do his own thing. He meets Jenna, and I think Jenna really just inspires him. He’s trying to find his own place in this world.

What was your first meeting with Gabrielle Union like? Were you nervous?

I [had] met Gab before this film, [but] I never was really nervous with her. She always made me feel at home. I think I got nervous once we got to the table read, because that was kind of essentially my audition process. Everything was still in question. Is he able to do this? Can he play opposite Gab? What we do is always a gamble, you know what I’m saying?

Meeting her in a work space, I got really nervous and I started to have imposter syndrome like, “Man, I cannot mess this up.” I realized when you work with people who are great, what happens is you just play up to their level. They inspire you in the moment, and playing off of them is way easier because they give you so much.

Alyssa Longchamp/Netflix

We can already see that the two of you have incredible chemistry in this trailer. How did you build that rapport? 

It was organic for the most part. She’s super cool. We just talked about so much random stuff, like [we’d been] friends forever. She has the best stories. For me, it’s just all about comfort. If I’m comfortable with you, then I feel safe to try things with you. The chemistry was natural.

The trailer teases the moment when Eric and Jenna first meet during a night out at a bar. What was it like filming that scene?

This is the first time you meet Eric, and first impressions are everything. I have to make women believe that Gab’s character would even be interested in my character. That’s what I was thinking about. Then, of course, we kiss in that scene and that makes me extremely nervous. My kiss has to be on point. It has to be hot, it has to be fiery, it has to be sexy. I was in my head a little bit, but once you get a few takes under your belt, [you’re like,] “I got this.”

A lot of the movie was Numa just letting us vibe. Then she would capture that. We did a lot of improv before and after scenes. After a couple of takes, we just really were in it. You could always tell when it feels like it’s pretty good because you’re just like, “OK, the chemistry is there, we’re flowing.” Then we were just having fun.

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Soon after, Jenna realizes that Eric is her boss Darcy’s son. What was it like having Gina Torres play your mom? What an honor!

Oh my God, Gina brings the heat. She has an essence about her that just really felt like she was my mom. It’s funny, when somebody is playing your parent on-screen, I think you naturally just want to be around them. I automatically gain this love for them, especially if I like them as an actor already. Gina gave me that vibe, but she’s just very authoritative. Gab has the same thing. I was surrounded by these powerful women.

Did they give you any advice?

Gab’s advice was to trust myself and know that I belong here. She would just be like, ‘Go out there and do what we believe that you can do.’ That really helped because confidence is everything, especially on-screen. You’re able to just trust in your choices more. You become believable. Everything becomes more truthful. And in a rom-com, when you’re a lead in it opposite someone, you two are literally what drives the movie. You have to have that confidence. 

What was it like working with Numa Perrier?

She really added that old-school Hollywood vibe into the film. Numa’s such an artist. She brought something out of me that no director has ever brought out. That’s not to say that I haven’t worked with great directors, but she really helped me trust my choices because she allowed me to really just be me. She really just let me live in the space. It was such a different way of working for me, but what I’ve learned, I’m taking that to every job moving forward. She has a huge place in my heart.

What do you hope audiences take away from the movie when it streams on June 23? 

One, I hope people trust me as an actor. I always just feel like, “Do I belong here? Can I have a place in this industry? Do I have a lane?” I hope they watch [and think,] “OK, he’s serious about this. He’s not somebody that just came on the scene and just did something and then out of here.” And two, I want them to watch the film repeatedly. Just turn it on! I want people to hit play right after and watch it again.

In the meantime, sneak at peak at the first five minutes of The Perfect Find right here on Tudum.