Jennifer Lopez and Brett Goldstein Are Your New Favorite Power Couple in New Look at Netflix's Next Big Rom-Com [Exclusive]

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Published May 25, 2026, 3:00 PM EDT

Ryan O'Rourke is a Senior News Writer at Collider with a specific interest in all things adult animation, video game adaptations, and the work of Mike Flanagan. He is also an experienced baseball writer with over six years of articles between multiple outlets, most notably FanSided's CubbiesCrib. Whether it's taking in a baseball game, a new season of Futurama or Castlevania: Nocturne, or playing the latest From Software title, he is always finding ways to show his fandom. When it comes to gaming and anything that takes inspiration from it, he is deeply opinionated on what's going on. Outside of entertainment, he's a graduate of Eureka College with a Bachelor's in Communication where he honed his craft as a writer. Between The IV Leader at Illinois Valley Community College and The Pegasus at Eureka, he spent the majority of his college career publishing articles on everything from politics to campus happenings and, of course, entertainment for the student body. Those principles he learned covering the 2020 election, Palestine, and so much more are brought here to Collider, where he has gleefully written on everything from the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes to Nathan Lane baby-birding sewer boys.

It's almost time to fasten your seatbelts, because Netflix's next big love story is about to take flight, and Jennifer Lopez is the pilot. After becoming an elite military operative in the action thriller The Mother and a counterterrorism analyst in the sci-fi flick Atlas on the platform, the rom-com queen is returning to familiar territory with Office Romance, casting her as high-powered airline CEO Jackie Cruz, who's about to test the limits of her company's anti-fraternization policy. Ted Lasso star Brett Goldstein enters the picture as Air Cruz's charming new lawyer, and the two hit it off almost immediately, spurring the two workaholics to think with their hearts for once. As part of Collider's Exclusive Preview series, we're thrilled to share a new image highlighting this high-flying power couple, as well as a few words from director Ol Parker on what makes this raunchy, funny tale so special.

Our still pairs Jackie and Daniel (Goldstein) during a tense moment in their budding relationship. Their secret office romance brings out the best in both of them and makes them feel passions they've long ignored due to their jobs. However, for many reasons, their being together creates complications that could threaten everything Jackie has built. This particular moment, as seen in the official trailer, plays out after a big meeting that could shake up the leadership of Air Cruz. Jackie tries to pressure her beau to object, but he refuses, even after being threatened with firing for not going along with what she wants. It's situations like these, where Jackie's high-pressure decision-making collides with her new love, that will test whether Office Romance's couple can survive in such an environment.

Lopez and Goldstein bring fairly different resumes to their steamy new job. In terms of rom-coms, she has years of experience, from The Wedding Planner to Maid in Manhattan, and Shotgun Wedding, to name a few. Goldstein is closer to the entry-level of romance films, though, having previously starred in All of You with Imogen Poots and the indie superhero flick SuperBob, but his comedy-drama skills make him a more than qualified screen partner. He owns two Emmys for his work as Roy Kent in Ted Lasso and later re-teamed with Bill Lawrence and Jason Segel to mastermind the wildly acclaimed Shrinking at Apple TV. The most important qualification for both actors, though, was for them to have chemistry, and according to Parker, they had that in spades. He told Collider that there was an immediate connection between the leads that only grew as they filmed together.

"For movies like this to work, they rely almost entirely on the connection, charisma, compatibility, and chemistry between the two leads. And that’s where I got really lucky this time. I’d talked to Brett and Jen separately, and liked them both hugely, which hopefully meant that they were going to like each other. And then a few months before shooting, we all had lunch, and it was just the best of times, immediately — respect, trust, and laughter. Not for me, obviously. But for each other. And that just grew and grew throughout filming, so I could just hang out at the monitor and eat biscuits."

Collider Exclusive · Universe Personality Quiz Which Iconic Universe Do You Belong in the Most? Star Wars · Lord of the Rings · Harry Potter · Game of Thrones · Star Trek

Five legendary universes. Five completely different visions of what the world could be — or already was. One of them is the world your instincts, your values, and your particular way of existing were built for. Eight questions will tell you which one.

🚀Star Wars

💍Lord of the Rings

🧙Harry Potter

👑Game of Thrones

🖖Star Trek

FIND YOUR UNIVERSE →

What gives your life its deepest sense of meaning? Every universe is built around a different answer to this question.

ABeing part of something larger than myself — a cause, a rebellion, a fight for freedom that outlasts me. BThe journey itself — the places I'll go, the companions beside me, the world I'll discover on the way. CLearning — unlocking what I'm capable of, understanding the world's hidden mechanics, growing into something more. DLegacy — the name I leave behind, the power I build, the mark I make before the world moves on without me. EUnderstanding — exploring what exists beyond the horizon and asking what it means to be alive in a universe this vast.

NEXT QUESTION →

Which kind of world do you most want to inhabit? The environment shapes who you become. Choose carefully.

AA galaxy of planets, each with its own culture — connected by conflict, trade, and the Force. BAncient lands of breathtaking beauty, deep history, and a creeping darkness at the edges. CA world hidden inside our own — full of wonder, community, and magic waiting to be learned. DA brutal, beautiful continent where power is everything and every alliance is a calculation. EA future where humanity has reached the stars — and must decide what kind of species it wants to be.

NEXT QUESTION →

How do you prefer your conflicts resolved? The shape of a world's conflicts tells you everything about its soul.

AThrough sacrifice and courage — someone has to make the impossible choice so others don't have to. BThrough fellowship — the impossible becomes possible when the right people walk the same road. CThrough growth — confronting what you fear, understanding what you lack, and becoming equal to the challenge. DThrough strategy — outthinking, outmaneuvering, positioning yourself so the outcome was never in doubt. EThrough dialogue — finding the third option, the peaceful resolution, the answer that doesn't require a body count.

NEXT QUESTION →

Who do you want beside you when things get difficult? Your ideal companions reveal the world you were made for.

AA small crew — a pilot, a rogue, a warrior — each broken in their own way, unbeatable together. BA fellowship of different kinds of people, bound by purpose and deepened by the long road. CFriends who grew up alongside me — who knew me before I knew myself, and stayed anyway. DAllies whose loyalty I've earned — and tested — and whose ambitions align with mine, for now. EA crew of brilliant, curious, principled people from every corner of known space.

NEXT QUESTION →

What is your relationship with power? How you seek, wield, or resist power is the map of who you are.

AI want to use it to protect — and I'm terrified of what I might become if I'm not careful. BI distrust it. The most important power in this story is the courage to give it up. CI want to earn it — through knowledge, through effort, through becoming someone worthy of it. DI want to wield it. Preferably before someone else decides to wield it against me. EI want to understand it — its structures, its limits, its ethical dimensions. Power without accountability is the real threat.

NEXT QUESTION →

How does your universe treat good and evil? A world's moral architecture tells you more about it than any map.

AThere is a dark side and a light side — and the choice between them is always present, always personal. BEvil is real and ancient and patient — and goodness, however small, is the only thing that can undo it. CGood and evil are real, but they live inside people — and people are complicated, always capable of both. DGood and evil are mostly a matter of perspective and proximity. Power is the only honest currency. EEvil is usually the result of ignorance, fear, or broken systems — and understanding it is the first step to solving it.

NEXT QUESTION →

What role would you naturally fall into? Every universe has archetypes. Which one fits you without trying?

AThe reluctant hero — ordinary origins, extraordinary moment, changed forever by the choice to act. BThe unlikely carrier — the one nobody expected to matter most, quietly bearing the weight of everything. CThe student — not yet who I'll become, learning through every mistake, growing into something the world needs. DThe player — sharp enough to see the game for what it is, ambitious enough to try to win it. EThe explorer — drawn to the unknown, driven by curiosity, most alive when standing somewhere no one has stood before.

NEXT QUESTION →

What do you ultimately believe about the future? The answer to this is the clearest window into which universe already lives inside you.

AThat hope is real — that even in the darkest galaxy, a new hope is always possible. CThat even the smallest person can change the course of the future, if they have the courage to try. CThat love and friendship and doing what's right will matter in the end, even when everything says otherwise. DThat the wheel keeps turning — that power shifts, winters end, and what endures is those willing to fight for it. EThat humanity — or whatever we become — is capable of extraordinary things, if we choose to be.

REVEAL MY UNIVERSE →

Your Universe Has Been Chosen You Belong In…

Your answers point to the iconic universe your values, your instincts, and your particular way of seeing the world were built for. This is where you would find your people — and your purpose.

Star Wars

You believe in the cause — in the idea that freedom is worth fighting for even when the odds are impossible and the empire is vast.

You are drawn to the moral clarity of a universe where hope itself is a form of resistance.
You'd find your people in the Rebellion — a ragtag coalition of true believers held together by conviction more than resources.
Star Wars is fundamentally a story about ordinary people choosing to matter in an extraordinary conflict — and that is exactly your kind of story.
The Force may or may not be with you. But the will to use it for something larger than yourself certainly is.

Lord of the Rings

You understand, in the deepest part of yourself, that the journey matters as much as the destination — and that the world's beauty is worth protecting even at great cost.

Middle-earth is a world of ancient wonder, deep friendship, and a darkness that only retreats when enough small acts of courage accumulate.
You would thrive here because you value the fellowship more than the glory — the road more than the arrival.
Tolkien's universe rewards patience, loyalty, and the willingness to carry something heavy across a very long distance.
Those are not burdens to you. They are simply how you move through the world.

Harry Potter

You believe that love, loyalty, and doing what's right are not naive sentiments — they are the most powerful forces in any world, magical or otherwise.

The Wizarding World is a place of wonder hidden in plain sight, where learning is transformative and the bonds you form at school follow you into every battle.
You would flourish here because you take both the magic and the friendships seriously — and you understand that one without the other is incomplete.
Harry Potter's universe ultimately rewards those who choose to stand for something even when standing is terrifying.
That choice — made quietly, without guarantee — is something you understand completely.

Game of Thrones

You see the world clearly — its power structures, its hypocrisies, its brutal arithmetic — and you are not paralysed by that clarity. You use it.

Westeros is a world that rewards intelligence, adaptability, and the willingness to understand that every alliance is also a negotiation.
You would survive here — possibly thrive here — because you don't confuse the world as it is with the world as you'd like it to be.
Game of Thrones is a story about what happens when the idealists and the realists collide. You are sharp enough to know which one lasts longer.
Winter always comes. You are already prepared.

Star Trek

You believe the future is worth building — that curiosity, cooperation, and the expansion of understanding are not just ideals but the most practical path forward for any civilisation.

Star Trek is a universe where the questions matter as much as the answers, and where encountering something utterly alien is cause for wonder rather than fear.
You would belong here because you are fundamentally optimistic about what intelligence and decency can achieve — while being honest about how hard that achievement is.
The Federation is the universe's most ambitious thought experiment: what if we actually got better?
You don't just hope that's possible. You think it's the only thing worth working toward.

↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ

'Office Romance' Mixes Chemistry, Laughter, and a Lot of Humanity

If Lopez is a rom-com queen, Parker is a bit of a rom-com king himself behind the camera. He's been involved in writing, directing, or both a handful of romantic favorites, from The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel to Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, and Ticket to Paradise, featuring the iconic duo of George Clooney and Julia Roberts. One thing that sets Office Romance apart for him, though, is that "I didn’t write it; two utterly brilliant other guys did. So that's a win right there." Goldstein brought his writing skills to the table for the script alongside Ted Lasso co-creator Joe Kelly. With so much collective experience and love for rom-coms between them, the team naturally discussed plenty of their favorites of the genre, but the goal was, first and foremost, to just make the best movie possible, their own way.

"When I first talked to them, and to Jen and the producers, we referenced other movies that we’d loved, as you do. But then once you start making the thing, you don’t try and emulate them, or transcend the genre in any way, because the movies we love that did that, didn’t try to. What you’re trying to do is make the very best version of it. And to have some fun on the way."

Goldstein previously revealed that he and Kelly both had Lopez in mind when penning Office Romance, though they also brought a very human feel to the story akin to their prior collaborations with Lawrence. When asked if there's a bit of Ted Lasso's feel-good energy baked into the script, Parker credited the humor and cast first and foremost for carrying on the writers' spirit. "First off, it’s really funny," he shared. "There's a ton of great jokes, fantastic set-pieces, and cracking characters — as evidenced by the extraordinary cast we got, who just wanted to come in and say the words." Making up the rest of the stellar starring group are Betty Gilpin, Amy Sedaris, Jodie Whittaker, Mary Wiseman, Tony Hale, Bradley Whitford, and, in a Selena reunion for Lopez, Edward James Olmos, while Tony Plana, Roger Bart, Rick Hoffman, Jackie Sandler, Michelle Hurd, Ali Stroker, Lisa Gilroy, Will Sasso, Donald Elise Watkins, Natalie Ortega, Brian Gallivan, Scott Seiss, and Mo Welch round things out.

Perhaps most important of all, in the director's eyes, is that Office Romance presents a great roadblock for its main couple to get past, and that the "wonderful humanity" Goldstein and Kelly often showcase shines through. Much like their television comedies, there's a warmth beneath the raunchiness and humor that he hopes viewers will also connect with.

"And I loved the obstacle. Every good romantic comedy needs one, whether it’s class, race, age, whatever, and this seemed very real and current. But underpinning it all, like so much of Brett and Joe’s work, is this wonderful humanity, this acceptance of people’s flaws and joy in their passions, and that’s an incredibly optimistic place to be. Their writing makes me feel like there’s a candle in the window, and the kettle’s always on, and I so hope that comes across in the finished movie."

Office Romance clocks in on Netflix on June 5. Check out our exclusive image above and stay tuned here at Collider throughout the week for more new looks at the hottest upcoming films from our summer preview series.