Elin Hilderbrand wanted Liev Schreiber to play catch in ‘The Perfect Pair’ (exclusive)

Elin Hilderbrand was the perfect cast for The perfect couple.

The bestselling author, known for her Nantucket-set novels, revealed to PEOPLE at the Los Angeles premiere of Netflix’s latest crime series – based on her 2018 book of the same name – that she had Liev Schreiber in mind for the role before he was cast.

In the six-part project, Schreiber, 56, and Nicole Kidman play a wealthy couple whose son Benji Winbury (Billy Howle) is set to marry Amelia Sacks (Eve Hewson). Schreiber plays the role of Tag Winbury, while Kidman stars as novelist Greer Garrison – as the pair find themselves ensnared in a “real-life investigation that feels like it’s plucked from the pages of one of Greer’s novels” after a body turns up on a beach, according to a synopsis.

“I made a specific wish list,” says Hilderbrand of the show’s casting. “When I knew Nic Greer was going to play, I really wanted Liev to do it.”

“I was a huge Robert Donovan Fan, he’s one of my favorite actors. And I sent the showrunner my wish,” she adds. “And she said, ‘I don’t know.’ And then a few weeks later, she said, ‘Elin, your wish might come true.’ And she didn’t say in terms of what, but I hoped that’s what she meant.”

The perfect couple is Hilderbrand’s first project to be adapted for the screen, and she explains that she believes the “crime” aspect has something to do with it.

“It’s so funny because I thought, ‘OK, I’m going to try to write a crime novel. And I had never done this before and I wasn’t following a formula,'” says Hilderbrand. “I didn’t plan it in advance. I didn’t know who did it until I was two-thirds of the way through the book.”

“I thought it was one person, but then when I was two-thirds through the book, I thought, ‘No, that’s not that person. It’s that person.’ And so I surprised myself,” the author adds. “I think that element of twists and turns that I had while writing it makes it prime television material.”

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Kidman, Schreiber and other stars of the series attended the premiere on Wednesday, September 4, at the Egyptian Theater in Los Angeles. Meghann Fahy, Eve Hewson and Adina Porter were also there to celebrate the occasion.

The perfect couple Premieres September 5th on Netflix.