Not only did Tamera Mowry Housley star in and produce the new Hallmark Christmas movie Mistletoe and Mimosas, she also had the opportunity to act alongside someone very special. In the film, Mowry Housley plays a big time business consultant who unexpectedly inherits her late uncle’s bar The Tipsy Reindeer and finds herself in a holiday competition with the trendy club owner next door. Speaking with Pop Culture Planet’s Kristen Maldonado, Mowry Housley revealed what it was like sharing the screen with her real-life daughter Ariah Talea Housley who makes her acting debut playing a younger version of her mother.
While Mowry Housley was incredibly proud to watch her daughter step in front of the cameras for the first time, she revealed it brought out some unexpected emotions. “I was not ready. When she first went out to say her lines, I started crying,” she admitted to me. “I was like, ‘Oh my god, it's happening. I'm so proud.’”
Those proud mom feelings quickly turned into protective ones. “I'm not a stage mom, but I was like, ‘Oh my god, we got to make sure…. Wait, did you get the shot? Is she okay? Is she nervous?” Mowry-Housley recalled. “And then I had to step away ‘cause I could see she was like, ‘Mom, I've got this.’”
Mowry Housley knew she needed to trust the people around her and give Ariah the space to enjoy the experience. “I had to trust our director. I had to trust our other producers. I am producing this one, so that was hard to do as well because I didn't want to be too hands-on with her,” she explained. “A lot of people watch Hallmark and I know people are going to be watching this. I want to protect her and all the things, but I thought she did an amazing job. I can't wait for you guys to see that.”
One of the most surreal aspects was watching Ariah play a younger version of Mowry Housley. Having watched her grow up on screen, it was a full-circle moment to see her daughter step into her shoes. “I did have these moments where I was watching her and I thought of Sister, Sister,” revealed Mowry Housley. “I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, she looks like me in the latter years of Sister, Sister. ‘Cause I straighten my hair then and her hair is obviously straighter than mine.”
Despite her initial nerves, Mowry Housley couldn’t be happier with how her daughter handled her first film experience. It even gave her the confidence to pursue more opportunities! “It inspired her to actually audition for her school play after she finished. So now she's in her school play of Alice in Wonderland,” she shard. “She plays a feisty flower and I got to see her. She sings, she dances. So this might not be the last time we see her and I'm just so proud.”
It was a “whole family affair” behind the scenes too, with the Mowry Housley family showing up to support her and Ariah. “They were obviously incredibly proud of her,” said Jennifer Robertson, Mowry Housley’s Twitches co-star who she reunites with in this film. “They have the same eyes and the same little sparkle in their eye.”
It’s so special seeing the mother and daughter share this exciting holiday milestone together! Catch Mistletoe and Mimosas airing November 15 on Hallmark Channel and streaming the next day on Hallmark+.
