Oliver encouraged Powers to read Tia Williams’ book “The Perfect Find,” and he was intrigued. Powers, who played Ronnie DeVoe in BET miniseries “The New Edition Story,” is no stranger to rom-coms. He previously starred in the 2017 Netflix original drama “#RealityHigh” as Cameron Drake, a teen heartthrob at the center of a contentious high school love triangle.
“When I read the story, the dynamic between Jenna and Eric, the fact that it was a rom-com really drew me to the project. It really got me excited because I grew up really loving rom-coms. It’s as simple as that. You just want to be in the genres you grew up loving.”
After grieving, and ultimately, being ousted from her mother’s house, Jones dusts herself off and pleads with her arch nemesis Darcy Vale (Gina Torres) to hire her, only to find herself in the crosshairs of a forbidden romance with Vale’s 25-year-old son, Eric Combs.
“He’s trying to step into the next phase of his life, as he wants to become a director. He feels like he’s under his mom,” Powers said. “He wants to spread his wings and do his own thing. But I think, maybe, Jenna inspires him to really take that step. What I love about him is that he knows he doesn’t have all the answers, but his optimism just separates him from a lot of people his age.”
To Jenna’s surprise, Eric is a charming, sarcastic young man with a devilish smile that melts her cynicism. Eric is a recent graduate of the University of Southern California’s film program, and he currently works at his mother’s namesake publication, Darzine, as a videographer and lives rent-free in her lavish penthouse. Despite his big dreams to create a film that honors his late father, Otis, Darcy calls the shots in his life.
“I’ve just been very independent for so long. That’s a difference between me and him,” Powers said. “But there’s a lot of parallels, weirdly. I’ve dated women older than me in the past [when I was] around his age. He’s confrontational in a way where he’s not just arguing just to argue. He’s trying to get to a common ground. That’s what I like about him, and I think we’re similar in that way as well.”
When Jenna joins the staff as the newest creative director, Eric is tasked with working alongside her on a new editorial campaign — and keeping their relationship strictly professional. But upon meeting in the office, the two butt heads over their generational differences. Jenna presumes he’s an entitled, spoiled brat, but Eric is merely trying to do the job for his mom and get out.
While Eric and Jenna don’t initially get along, in true rom-com fashion, the pair mends fences and draws closer to each other. Reflecting upon his experiences dating older women as a young 20-something, Powers noted that the conversations were deeper and thought-provoking — which brought Eric and Jenna together as well.
“That’s what I felt when Eric and Jenna would connect. On the surface level, she was looking at Eric like, ‘This young dude thinks he knows everything. He doesn’t know anything,’” Powers said. “That’s what I think really frustrated him. As they started connecting over old Hollywood films, the conversation was so good. That’s what forms a connection, and that’s something that I related to while doing the scenes.”
“What I love about Gabby is that she’s just so professional,” Powers said. “When you’re on set with someone who’s been doing this for a long time and you’re up-and-coming, you’re trying to figure out how they work. Gabby loves to rehearse. She loves to run lines — and that’s the best when a veteran loves to run lines, because it’s so hard to ask. I know, for me, you’ve got to have a great deal of confidence.”
“A lot of veteran actors I’ve worked with, they come up with choices in the space,” he continued. “They have a list of things they want to try that you know they’ve thought about prior to the scene. It helps for me to just follow her lead in some scenes. So when we have an improv, I know to take the back seat. I’m always cool with that because Gabby is so collaborative.”
Working with Torres, Powers said, made him ensure that he was “on his Ps and Qs.” Akin to how Eric straightens up when Darcy enters a room, Powers said that Torres brought a motherly presence to set.
“I know that what I do, there’s no wrong or right. It’s just about how people feel and trying to service the story. ‘The Perfect Find’ is just so not a traditional story, and I love that because, in real life, some people just have unique situations,” he said. “I want [people watching] to know that their situation is their perfect find, whatever that situation is. I really want to show people that finding themselves is that perfect find. That’s the hidden message in this film.”
This content was originally published here.
