Janel Parrish Opens Up About The Importance of Mixed Asian Representation in 'To All The Boys I've Loved Before'

Janel Parrish is praising how her new Netflix film, To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, is giving a voice and shining a light on mixed Asian families – just like her real life one.

Speaking to Bustle, the actress who plays older sister Margot revealed that she remembered “growing up and wanting to be an actress and watching these movies and asking my mom if I had to look like all those other girls in order to be an actress.”

She continues, “‘Cause there were no movies with strong Asian American leads that I could watch and say, ‘Oh, I identify with this person. You know, I could relate to her. I wanna be her’.”

Janel remembers how hard it was for her to get cast in a role, too.

“I had a really hard time because they didn’t quite know how to place me into a family,” she shared. “Now it’s like, ‘This is the family that we’re looking for. We’re looking for a multi-ethnic family. And that’s amazing.”

To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before is streaming now on Netflix.