Janel Parrish and Parker Young Share the Hilarious Reason Hallmark's “Christmas on Duty” Was a 'Growing Experience' (Exclusive)

It's Nov. 1, which intends Halloween is complete and it's officially Christmas. And there's nary amended measurement to observe than pinch a caller Hallmark Christmas movie that honors nan United States military.

In Christmas connected Duty, Pretty Little Liars alum Janel Parrish and Enlisted prima Parker Young play feuding members of nan subject who person been rivals since their days successful Quantico. After an statement creates a segment astatine a vacation party, they're thrown together to activity connected Christmas — conscionable arsenic a snowstorm is astir to deed their guidelines and support Santa's gifts from arriving connected time.

For some actors, honoring subject families was a gift successful and of itself.

"My sister's successful nan military, truthful this was very, very adjacent and beloved to my heart," Parrish, 37, tells PEOPLE. "She conscionable loved that we were honoring nan subject families, and she loved seeing maine represent. ... It was a really nosy bonding infinitesimal for us."

For Young, who has played respective subject characters passim his career, donning a azygous was aged chapeau — but nary little rewarding.

"I can't opportunity capable astir what nan subject and nan work members mean to maine personally," nan actor, 37, tells PEOPLE. "Members of my family are successful nan military, my brother-in-law, and astir of my champion friends are successful nan SEAL teams. I conscionable person truthful overmuch respect for these guys, and each azygous clip I get an opportunity to play a work member, I return it to heart. I conscionable consciousness truthful grateful for that opportunity, and I don't want to fto them down. Yeah, it's an added pressure, but besides specified an unthinkable privilege."

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Below, Parrish and Young stock really they recovered their hit for Christmas connected Duty and nan 1 hilarious instruction Young learned.

PEOPLE: Filming connected these movies happens quickly, and I cognize sometimes nan stars haven't moreover met earlier they show up to group connected time 1. What did you do to build chemistry for this?

PARKER YOUNG: We met successful nan edifice nan first time, and we were like, "Let's person dinner." I thought it was going to beryllium a very short dinner, but it conscionable turned into a nice, long, beautiful evening of conscionable getting to cognize each other. I think, immediately, we felt for illustration we lucked retired and we had capable chemistry to make this beautiful small rom-com Christmas movie.

JANEL PARRISH: I 2nd that. I consciousness for illustration erstwhile you recognize that you person this earthy relationship and chemistry pinch your costar, you're like, "Thank you," because it really does make your occupation truthful easy and doesn't consciousness for illustration work. From nan get-go pinch Parker, being capable to link and person specified easy chemistry conscionable made our occupation truthful easy. We had truthful overmuch fun. We laughed each azygous day.

There's a sizeable tallness quality betwixt you. Was that an added challenge?

PARRISH: Apple boxes. I stood connected an pome container a fewer times.

YOUNG: I don't retrieve it being excessively overmuch of a problem. I deliberation she made maine crook nan knee and buss nan proverbial Princess of Hallmark ringing a small bit. I'm nan jester of Hallmark. This is my first one.

PARRISH: Jester, indeed. Yeah. I had a full pome container runway a mates times. You conscionable person to locomotion and make judge not to autumn disconnected nan side.

YOUNG: She's a pro. Somehow, this mini quality thumps maine astatine nan obstacle people each azygous clip successful nan movie.

PARRISH: You're going to person to get complete that, Parker.

YOUNG: Let's not get into it, it's a sore subject.

Let's talk astir nan obstacle course. How overmuch of it did you really do?

PARRISH: Parker did each of it. They did person stunt doubles for some of us, but he was really to nan constituent wherever they were like, "Parker, you can't ... Slow down. The camera can't drawback you. You're going excessively fast." He is truthful competitory successful existent life. He was like, "Got to do this obstacle people and spell fast." I was like, "My characteristic has to win, truthful you person to not spell that fast." He was conscionable excessively people bully astatine it. I did person a stunt double. I did astir of it, but location was 1 [obstacle] that I was frightened to do, which was climbing to nan apical and past complete nan side. I sewage up there, and I was like, "No, no, excessively scared." But I did do astir of it — pinch nan thief of immoderate wires — but I did it.

These characters evidently are very competitive, but would you picture yourselves arsenic competitive? What does crippled nighttime look for illustration successful your house?

YOUNG: I americium excessively competitive, conscionable mostly speaking, I'm trying to activity connected it because I deliberation it is bully to beryllium competitory and want to do your best. Competition tin bring retired nan champion successful a person, but there's a good statement betwixt getting excessively competitive, and now that I've sewage small girls, I'm trying to thatch them a patient magnitude of title while still being happy for nan different person. To reply your question, yeah, I'm excessively competitory and I'm evidently going to triumph each Christmas crippled that we play. ... I conscionable want to make judge that I'm answering amended than Janel correct now. 

PARRISH: This is what I had to woody with. [Laughs.] I would opportunity that I americium competitory pinch myself, truthful if I group a modular for myself and if I don't consciousness for illustration I deed that aliases overcame that, past I get really competitive, But again, pinch myself. But pinch a crippled night, yeah, I'm existent competitive.

YOUNG: That was nan problem pinch nan obstacle people scene: I had to lose. No matter really difficult I tried, I had to lose. So it was really a increasing acquisition for maine to lose.

PARRISH: You learned truthful much.

YOUNG: Yeah, I learned a lot. Thank you for that lesson, Janel.

PARRISH: No problem.

There are a batch of funny action sequences, not conscionable nan obstacle course, particularly successful nan backmost room of nan store. How did each of that work? Were location immoderate funny blooper moments?

PARRISH: There really should beryllium a blooper reel, and I retrieve saying that connected group aggregate times because we would conscionable break laughing and conscionable person nan absolute champion time.

YOUNG: Yeah. It was truthful overmuch fun. I don't cognize if I've ever had much nosy connected immoderate task before.

PARRISH: Yeah, same.

YOUNG: Our director, Jake Van Wagoner, is conscionable specified a stud. He's truthful funny inherently, and he wants to create a nosy environment. And also, kudos to Hallmark. I felt for illustration everybody wanted america to person a bully clip while we were there, knowing that that's what's going to thief create a nosy movie.

Janel, is that portion of nan magic of making Hallmark movies and what keeps you coming back?

PARRISH: Absolutely. I'm astir to spell do my 10th one, I conscionable realized, truthful I person done 9 of these, and each clip I person gone to activity for Hallmark, I person nan champion time. I meet nan champion people. I person nan astir joyful experience, and you're right, it's because they care. They attraction astir their team, their family, each of us, cast, crew, everyone. Their fans! And they want america to person a beautiful clip making thing beautiful. I deliberation that's portion of nan magic of watching these films. It translates.

YOUNG: But tin I inquire you, which 1 was your favorite?

PARRISH: Oh, he's going to opportunity thing competitory correct now. I already told you. It was this one. I told Parker he's successful my apical database of costars ever. We had nan absolute champion time.

Christmas connected Duty premieres Saturday, Nov. 1 astatine 8 p.m. ET/PT connected Hallmark Channel and streams nan adjacent time connected Hallmark+.