Most recognized for his pivotal roles in action blockbusters from “Mission: Impossible” to “Clear and Present Danger,” actor Henry Czerny has made a 180-degree turn in 2026.
Three months after starring in Lifetime’s “Love Again” with Valerie Bertinelli and Eric McCormack, Czerny will play the compassionate dad of Hallmark queen Lacey Chabert in her new Hallmark+ series, “Paris is Always a Good Idea,” premiering via Hallmark+ on July 30.
Henry Czerny Reveals Biggest Differences Between Making ‘Mission: Impossible’ Movie & Hallmark Series
HallmarkCzerny will forever be known for his role as Eugene Kittridge in the very first “Mission: Impossible” movie in 1996, in which he played former head of the Impossible Mission Force (IMF) Eugene Kittridge, who later succeeded Erika Sloane as Director of the CIA in 2023’s “Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One” and 2025’s “Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning.”
Before the premiere of “Paris is Always a Good Idea,” Czerny told EntertainmentNow that bossing around Tom Cruise is different than lovingly parenting Lacey Chabert — “to an extent.”
“There are technical elements involved in a ‘Mission: Impossible’ movie or a ‘Clear and Present Danger’ movie; there are camera moves, there’s a lot of prep. It’s a structure that’s very different from a romantic (movie). It’s all a romantic journey actually, but different elements in different films.”
“There is a technical aspect to the big budget films,” Czerny continued, and he would know, given that “Mission: Impossible — Final Reckoning” was one of the most expensive movies ever made, with a budget of $400 million, per The Hollywood Reporter.
“Not that this was a low budget series at all,” he noted. “I think this is a very well-done and invested-in series for Hallmark. But with this one, it’s more about the interactions with people, the romantic interactions, and the subterranean love that people share. Despite what’s happening on the top layer of the river, underneath it’s much more calm. It’s all of the same river, so those are the two differences.”
“This one requires more heart, whereas ‘Mission: Impossible’ may require a little more going on up here for the characters,” Czerny said, touching his temple.
Henry Czerny Says It Was ‘Easy to Pretend to Be Madly in Love’ with Hallmark Star Barbara Niven
HallmarkIn “Paris is Always a Good Idea,” Czerny plays the loving father of two daughters (played by Chabert and Rebecca Hanssen) who lost his wife and their mom to cancer 10 years earlier. But he’s considering proposing to his new love, played by Hallmark fan-favorite Barbara Niven.
“She was great, and she’s another Hallmark queen,” Czerny gushed. “Her pedigree is amazing. She knows the industry backwards and forwards, she’s an incredibly professional person, and she’s lovely. So it was very easy to pretend to be madly in love with her.”
When asked how he’s able to transition from playing a cold-hearted spy to a kind-hearted dad, Czerny laughed, “I have no idea. No idea. I read the script. I do the research. I dig in.”
He continued, “I look around inside to see what parts of me are going to be useful to that yarn and that character, and I try not to screw the pooch. Don’t be the weakest link. Do your work. Show up on time, stay away from the furniture that should stay where it is, and work with the people that are in front of you when action’s called. Forget everything, and let it flow. That’s what I do.”
The first two episodes of “Paris is Always a Good Idea” will be released exclusively via Hallmark+ on July 30, with additional episodes dropped each of the next four Thursdays. Annual subscriptions to the streamer are 50% off through August 31 when you use the coupon code STREAM4SUMMER.
