How The Perfect Find Smashes Social Norms - And Why Gina Torres Loves It

Often regarded as fluffy fanfare, romantic comedies have not always gotten their fair shake. Even in the heyday of "How to Lose a Guy In 10 Days" or "27 Dresses," these movies have been unfairly targeted for being too formulaic. But in Netflix's new rom-com, "The Perfect Find," co-lead Gina Torres is happy to dispense with such stereotypes. Though the film has its fair share of tropes, it also has a refreshing take on the genre. 

After Jenna (Gabrielle Union) suffers a break-up and the apparent end of her career, she gets back out there by begging for a job from her former rival, Darcy (Torres). This is then further complicated when Jenna realizes she has fallen for her boss's son.

"I think we are certainly in a time in our lives and in our history where social norms are being challenged daily," Torres explained to Forbes. Ultimately, the film is about societal pressures put on women every day and the norms that the "Serenity" actor wanted to dismantle. "[W]hether it's a woman past the age of 40 that's reinventing herself, whether it is someone in the LGBTQ community that's also not afraid of finding love, whether it's a woman in power that could care less about how intimidating she is and really just wants everybody to level up to be their best. These are all things that I believe are important to see and are important to represent."

In her prolific career, Gina Torres has portrayed some iconic characters from impressive properties. Fans of the cult series "Firefly" will always remember her fondly as Mal's (Nathan Fillion) fierce second-in-command, Zoë Washburne. Her additional roles in "Angel," "Suits," and "Hannibal" prove how versatile she is and have allowed her to shine a light on the need for diverse representation. In "The Perfect Find," Darcy's character hints at Torres' Afro-Latina ancestry by sprinkling in some Spanish vocabulary to the dialogue. Torres is passionate about showcasing the underrepresented community in film and is proud she can do so.

"I'm 100% American and 100% Cuban. That's how I see life... And to be able to give a little bit of that flavor to the characters I play is a great pleasure and an honor," she continued. And though she is happy to bring these aspects to the big and small screen, there is still work to be done. The actor advocates strongly for more representation so there can be more gems like "The Perfect Find."

"There's a very easy fix," Torres concluded. "Just bring more Afro-Latinos to the small and big screen and show the whole world that Latinos aren't just the European image we've been raised with... But that we come in many colors and many lifestyles." Netflix's new romantic comedy breaks these barriers in a genre that is not always appreciated.