These Stars Loved Putting a Modern Twist on This Bible Story for Netflix

Published: September 22, 2025

By Michaela Gordoni

RUTH & BOAZ leads Tyler Lepley and Serayah told Movieguide® all about their new movie.

Both of the actors were drawn to the modern twist on the old Bible story.

“I liked that it felt fresh and new and, and it’s…a fresh perspective, if you will,” Serayah told Movieguide®.

“That’s exactly what attracted me to it,” Lepley agreed.

The movie is a modern retelling of the Biblical story of Ruth and Boaz. After walking away from a record deal, Ruth joins her late boyfriend’s mother as they start over in a small town in Tennessee. Ruth works at a nearby vineyard for a man named Boaz, who falls in love with Ruth. As Ruth slowly accepts his love, she learns to deal with the past and grow in her faith.

“I was like, oh my go**, Ruth and Boaz…but then like, she, like at the club performing and I’m like, wait a minute. Where are we going with this?” Serayah laughed. “I was definitely like, just along for the ride.”

Serayah and Lepley actually were playing brother and sister in a horror movie when they got asked to chemistry read for RUTH & BOAZ.

“I remember like being on my way to the chemistry read and then passing her in the lobby from the other movie,” Lepley said. “It was like, all right, I’ll see y’all in a minute.”

“It was crazy,” Serayah said.

The actors star with Babyface and Phylicia Rashad in the movie, who were household names for Serayah.

“It’s kind of a pinch me moment, but for me, I think I, I just wanted to focus more on, on Ruth, you know, and, and the story at hand. But listen, I definitely told both of them like, ‘Oh my go**!” she said of fangirling. “You know, I had my moment.”

“One thing I took away…from both of them…is that they’re just so gracious with their space,” Lepley said. “You know what I mean? Like, like, you don’t have to talk about life in between scenes when you’re Phylicia Rashad, you know what I’m saying?”

“You don’t have to show any sense of vulnerability. Vulnerability when you’re Babyface…To see the humans as opposed to the… ‘celebrities’ was just such a blessing because you would never, you could never buy your way into that space. You have to be blessed enough to share that space with them,” the actor said.

One of the actors’ favorite moments on set was watching Babyface turn into an actor on set.

“He’s open to the direction from the director and you know, like, watching the actor, watching him find that as an actor, was great. That was a lot of fun,” Lepley said.

Tyler Perry and DeVon Franklin produced the movie.

“I’m so excited to be working with DeVon on this and future projects,” Perry said. “I think in this polarizing world, and at a time when the world seems to be growing colder every day, we both share the common goal of wanting to spread some good. And there’s no better place than Netflix.”

RUTH & BOAZ premieres on Netflix on Sept. 26.

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