This Interview Felt Like Therapy
I got a second round with Rebecca Hanssen and Henry Czerny for Paris Is Always a Good Idea, and somehow this conversation left me feeling like I’d just walked out of a really good therapy session. The Hallmark+ limited series, based on Jenn McKinlay’s bestselling novel, follows Chelsea Martin (Lacey Chabert) as she retraces her old loves across Ireland, France, and Spain after a message from her late mother sets her whole family in motion — including her father Glenn (Czerny) and younger sister Annabelle (Hanssen), who tag along for the ride. I’d already binged the first four episodes and full-on bawled, and I had the book newly off my shelf after six years of guilt, so I came into this one with a lot of feelings.
The Best TV Dad Ever Gives Real Advice
I told Czerny straight up that Glenn might be one of the most understanding fathers I’ve ever seen on screen — a guy who lets his daughters figure things out for themselves but is always there to catch them when they fall. So I asked what fatherly wisdom he’d offer his on-screen girls to help them get out of their own way in love.
His answer basically wrecked me in the best way: “Complications are OK. It’s like a math problem. It’s all right. There will be turns in the road. There’s no question. Nobody is immune from that. Follow with your heart. Get a full-body yes, and move with that. It’s not going to look the way you wanted it to sometimes, but trust that your heart knows more than your head.” Honestly? I told him it felt like my own dad was talking to me. That’s the kind of line that’s going to end up in someone’s Instagram caption by the time episode six airs.
Why They Signed On — and Why San Sebastián Stole the Show
When I asked what drew them to the adaptation and what their favorite part of shooting in Europe was, Hanssen lit up talking about landing the role of Annabelle in the first place. “The scripts are brilliant. And I think Annabelle is just such a fun character. So even auditioning, I just had the best time playing with the scripts and just having fun with it,” she said. “It was kind of one of those things where I never in a million years thought that I would actually get the part. So you just kind of let go and have fun. And then when I got the call to be like, no, they would actually quite like you, I did scream quite loudly.”
The location scouting didn’t hurt either. “Especially, you know, living in Europe, but not exploring it nearly as much as I should when things aren’t actually that very far away — it was a very nice excuse to be able to go to all of these beautiful places and see Paris again. I hadn’t seen it since I was like 12. And to go to San Sebastián in Spain is just beautiful,” Hanssen said. “Very, very lucky.” That tracks with what the show’s location work has been getting praised for — the series filmed across Paris and Spain, with the Spanish coastline doubling for Ireland’s rolling hills in several scenes.
More Than a Love Story
Going into this, I expected a straightforward romance. Four episodes in, I don’t think that’s really what Paris Is Always a Good Idea is about — it plays more like an exploration of every kind of relationship: romantic, father-daughter, sisterly, even professional. So I asked both of them what they think is the biggest relationship lesson viewers should take away.
Hanssen passed the mic straight to Czerny: “Henry, you’ll answer that so well.”
His answer delivered, “I think one of the things that I hope folks walk away with after watching the series is trust — trust in yourself, trust in your heart’s mind… there’s this thing telling you what you should do and there’s this thing telling you what feels right. Listen to this. It’s going to be bumpy sometimes, but just stay open, listen to your body, and move toward a full-body yes. Not a temporary one, but a full one. And regardless of what happens, you will probably feel more grateful about your life.”
He added that he hopes it resonates especially with “people who are stuck between rocks and hard places or in the midst of grief,” noting that “grief is just part of the whole experience of living.” Coming from the guy playing a widowed father navigating a new relationship while helping his daughters heal, that lands with real weight.
Sisterhood, According to Annabelle and Glenn
Since Annabelle is basically the opposite of Chelsea – and the support system her sister actually needs – I wanted to know what advice Hanssen would give sisters trying to show up for each other despite their differences.
“I think it’s about setting aside things that make you different from each other and focusing on all of the things that you have in common,” she said, “and then allowing the other person to fill in your gaps and to kind of give you energy where they have some, and you don’t, give you ideas, be open, and laugh together. Again, I think that heals a lot.”
Czerny, ever the proud on-screen dad, just laughed and added, “I got to work with this person for weeks” – which, after watching the two of them riff off each other for five straight minutes, checks out completely.
Paris Is Always a Good Idea premiered its first two episodes July 30 on Hallmark+, with new episodes streaming weekly through August 27.
Between this chat and the last one, I’m convinced Hanssen and Czerny could host their own advice column. I’m off to keep reading the book before episode five drops.
