Hit Like a Girl: Claudia Tan’s Road to “Perfect Addiction”

A Romantic Knockout

When betrayal backs you into a corner, you can either take the beating or come out swinging. That’s exactly what Sienna Lane intends to do in “Perfect Addiction,” the movie directed by Castille Landon, based on the second installment of the “Perfect” series by Claudia Tan. A tantalizing action romance full of whirlwind heartbreaks and plots of retribution, the story follows Sienna (played by Kiana Madeira), a tough-as-nails fighter with dreams of championing the ring as she trains and supports her boyfriend, Jax Deneris (played by Matthew Noszka), on his own path to MMA success. 

Sienna’s passion for the sport and devotion to her partner pillar her entire existence, only to have her world fall apart when she walks in on Jax in bed with her younger sister. The gut punch is swift and severe, and she struggles to reconcile the layers of betrayal while evading homelessness, reduced to stowing away at her failing gym or sleeping at bus stops. A seemingly all-is-lost moment would cripple an ordinary person, but this is about an underdog fighter, after all. 

Sienna simply refuses to remain a victim and instead concocts a revenge plan. She proposes a partnership with Jax’s rival, Kayden Williams (played by Ross Butler), and convinces him to train with her in exchange for a place to live so they can both emerge victorious. Though they set every intention of keeping their objective strictly business, an intense, fiery romance is inescapable. A passionate tale of desire and pride, “Perfect Addiction” delivers the juicy and satisfying elements of young love while asking the question: What, or who, are you willing to fight for?

Early Beginnings

Tan kickstarted her career on Wattpad when she was just 16 years old, delivering chapter after chapter, week by week to her online community. Now, almost 10 years later with over a staggering 170 million reads on her page, Tan has amassed enormous popularity with her “Perfect” series and even nabbed the People’s Choice Awards on the platform two years in a row. 

Tan found the writing community on Wattpad to be welcoming and motivating for her creative journey, providing essential support for the budding author. “I was updating pretty consistently; that was the way to go on Wattpad,” she reflects. “I did that every few days and people just kept coming. People really wanted to tune in and see what happened, what were the shenanigans that were going on with these characters, and just kept going on from there.” 

Fast forward to today, Tan is witnessing her story come alive visually, reimagined as a film. As she says, it is a true “pinch-me moment.” She is no stranger to creative blocks, however, and still turns to her Wattpad community for encouragement. “Writing can be such an isolating thing,” she admits. “That’s what I like about Wattpad though … on the platform, I really found the interactive nature of it super fun and motivating. You get instant feedback and it motivates you to continue.” 

As a young girl, Tan delved into works of writers such as Meg Cabot and was inspired to create her own stories. Tan is known to center her stories on strong female characters; her protagonists are often buoyant, driven, and tough, yet unapologetically feminine. She aims to expand the reductive, submissive female trope, a role especially common in the romance genre. The escapist, guilty-pleasure genre is comforting for readers reminiscing about the struggles of navigating young heartbreak and finding one’s place in the world. 

“I hope to break barriers. I want young girls to see that you could literally be anything,” Tan expresses. “You could be an MMA trainer and kick ass … I always want to show that because it’s still not permeated in the genre yet, so it’s fun to see these girls in physical and dominating positions.”

Pursuing Multiple Careers

Not many people can claim they’ve published a massively popular series by 25, but did I mention Tan also co-founded an ethical clothing brand called Revive while balancing a pop music career in Malaysia? This multi-hyphenate artist fearlessly dives headfirst into all of her creative interests which are often, not surprisingly, about falling in or out of love. 

“I’ve always been a hopeless romantic,” Tan admits, giggling. “I think being 16 and not experiencing as much romantic love, I was a bit starved for it so I sought to escape in fiction by reading and by writing. I think what fans really like about my stories is the development of these characters. They like to see real people grow … your own personal journey, the realistic aspect of the relationship.”

Her glossy, flirty tunes boast a wider portfolio of her talents and personality. Tan’s hit single, “Bodies,” has amassed millions of listens on Spotify and evokes similar feelings of young love nostalgia as in her writings. When inquired about how she balances her focus and energy on dual interests, Tan responds, “Both things are very creative. I definitely have periods where I just don’t have it in me to write another chapter or write another song … and that’s where I’m able to escape to the other thing. Because they’re different art forms, I’m able to refuel my creativity in a different way.” Impressively, her multiple creative pursuits do not divide her aspirational vibrancy but rather amplify each other. 

Creative Process and Collaboration

Artists are always implored about their creative processes and many amend them to create a social media-worthy portrayal of their workflow, but Tan’s reaction is refreshingly candid. “I have no idea how to answer that!” she laughs. “I feel like my creative process is all over the place. I just go about life … and it kind of comes to me, and that’s all I think about and I MUST do it. It’s chaotic for sure.” 

Writing, as she shared before, can be incredibly isolating and leaves little room to partner with others. Musical collaboration, on the other hand, can be a helpful tool to share and uplift ideas among peers in the industry, such as her tracks featuring rapper Asyraf Nasir and producer Irwinandfire. “I definitely do like to collaborate. Music is the polar opposite, you have to collaborate,” she explains. “If you’re not everything yourself, you have to collaborate with people. That’s what makes music so fun for me.” 

Looking Forward

Even in light of her many accomplishments, Tan has no intention of slowing down, as she eagerly shares what’s next for her. The fourth and final installment of the “Perfect” series, “Perfect Redemption,” is coming to a finish (to much dismay from her fans), and she is anxious to begin a new series of books along with releasing an EP later this year. 

When asked what she would advise a younger Claudia, as well as her fans and other aspiring creatives, she responds, “I always tell people not to think too much. When you’re first starting something, it can be super daunting … there’s no such thing as perfection. You can get it close enough to what you think is perfection, but you’ll keep working on it until you die.” True to Sienna Lane’s attitude in “Perfect Addiction,” Tan adds, “Don’t think too much, don’t be in your head a lot, and just go for it!” 

“Perfect Addiction” is available to view on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, and other streaming platforms.

Images Credit: Claudia Tan