Cheaper By The Dozen Director Gail Lerner On Why Zach Braff And Gabrielle Union Are 'A Great Combination' - Exclusive

In the new "Cheaper By the Dozen" reboot, Zach Braff and Gabrielle Union put a modern spin on a timeless classic. The film, which was directed by Gail Lerner ("Black-ish," "Happy Endings") and is now streaming on Disney+, is a new installment of the franchise that also includes the 1950 and 2003 films of the same name — but with an updated storyline and cast.

Braff and Union play Paul and Zoey Baker, heads of a multi-racial, blended family that run their own restaurant that bottles their trademark "Hot, Sweet, and Savory" sauce. Together, they take on everything that life throws at them — from high-maintenance exes to runaway teens.

It's a story that wouldn't work if the two leads didn't have chemistry — but, luckily, Braff and Union strike the right chord with each other. That chemistry made Lerner's job a whole lot easier, and during an exclusive interview with Looper, the director revealed exactly why she thinks Braff and Union make such a great on-screen team.

Gail Lerner said she knew "right away" that both Zach Braff and Gabrielle Union were "perfect" for their respective roles — even though they came from different mindsets when it came to kids.

"They brought such different attributes," admitted Lerner. "Gab, I think experientially, is much closer to Zoey [than Braff is to Paul]. She has a biological daughter. She has step-kids. She comes from a big, blended family herself. She's used to parenting. Zach does not have his own kids, but he's a great uncle. He adores his nieces and nephew, and ... he leapt in as a playmate to the [onscreen children] and met their childish energy with such playfulness and love."

On set, the two actors seemed to balance each other out in a way that leveled the playing field and brought them together. "They joke around that they do good cop, bad cop," said Lerner, adding, "It wasn't so much that Gab was a bad cop, but she was a focused cop. She knew when you had to stop playing to get the job done ... They were a great, great combination."

"Cheaper By the Dozen" is now streaming exclusively on Disney+.