Janel Parrish has made plenty of Hallmark movies. But “Two for Tee” hit differently, and she has been open about why.
The film premiered March 21 on Hallmark Channel as part of the Spring Into Love lineup. Parrish stars as Tee, a Chinese American pottery artist. She discovers her family heritage through her craft while trying to save a local community center.
Janel Parrish: ‘I Feel So Seen’
Hallmark“This is the first script that has come across my table where I was like, I feel so seen. I feel so represented,” Parrish said, according to Pop Culture Planet.
That was not all. Growing up half Chinese and half Caucasian, Parrish said she often felt like “the least Chinese person in the household” and felt a pull toward that part of her identity that she had not always known how to explore.
“As somebody who is half Chinese, half white, I saw myself reflected on the page and that made me so happy because growing up, I didn’t really see a lot of that,” Parrish said. She added that she was excited Hallmark was “giving this platform to tell these stories and to make it authentic,” El-balad reported.
‘Two for Tee’ Is More Than a Love Story
HallmarkThe romance between Tee and Will is at the center of the film. Fangirlish reported that Parrish said the story goes deeper than that. The script’s focus on family connection and heritage really tugged at her heartstrings, she said. It highlights scenes she believes will resonate beyond a standard Hallmark romance.
Chris McNally, her co-star, echoed that sentiment, telling Fangirlish he loved the culture the film explores and the chance to “dive into Yixing pottery and the beauty of it.”
The two also had immediate chemistry off camera, according to Pop Culture Planet. “We met, and I was like, ‘Oh, this is going to be a piece of cake.’ We were always laughing. We were little on set besties,” Parrish told the outlet. “When you have a natural connection with somebody, it makes the time that you spend together fly by so fast. Now we’re friends and it’s great.”
Early Viewers Are Responding
Early reviews echoed what Parrish hoped the film would deliver for viewers. A Fangirlish reviewer who watches Hallmark regularly said the film stood apart from the usual formula, writing that “all the tropes I am used to weren’t there” and that the movie “made me feel different.”
Another reviewer called it “bright and full of joy” and said everything about the film “fits ideally into the Hallmark branding,” adding simply, “I loved it,” according to RissiWrites.
Tell-Tale TV also reported that Parrish has become “an instant-watch Hallmark lead” and urged the network to put McNally in more movies going forward.
“Two for Tee” streams on Hallmark+ the day after its Hallmark Channel premiere.
I liked Janel in the Hallmark movie where she played a librarian who adopts a woman’s 2 daughters.
Love “Two for Tee”. Watched it a 2nd time and loved it more. Janel and Chris had great chemistry. Wonderful to see Hallmark bring a story together r/t Chinese American culture. Hope these 2 make another Hallmark movie again.
Two for Tee was a FABULOUS Movie. Janel was AMAZING & Chris was his usual Charismatic self. They were Wonderful together. A Great Combination.
Great movie! Chris and Janel were so natural together with so much wonderful chemistry! Loved how Chris’s character, Will, knew who he was and what he wanted in life, regardless of what anyone else thought he should be or do, and he encouraged and supported Tee to find herself and her passion with her Yixing pottery art. Loved watching Tee create her Yixing teapots. Loved the movie, and have watched it twice already, and will be watching it again!