Nia Vardalos Talks About My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2Posted by Wilson Morales
March 23, 2016
Coming to theaters this week is “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2,” the long-awaited follow-up to the highest-grossing romantic comedy of all time.
The cast includes Nia Vardalos, John Corbett, Lainie Kazan, Gia Carides, Joey Fatone, Elena Kampouris, Alex Wolff, Louis Mandylor, Bess Meisler, Bruce Gray, Fiona Reid, Ian Gomez, Jayne Eastwood, Mark Margolis, Andrea Martin, and Michael Constantine.
Written by Academy Award nominee Vardalos, the film reveals a Portokalos family secret that will bring the beloved characters back together for an even bigger and Greeker wedding.
Kirk Jones directs the next chapter of the film that will be once again produced by Rita Wilson and Playtone partners Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman.
While promoting the film in New York at a press conference, Vardalos talks about coming to the role 10 plus years later with the same character.
Now, this is fourteen years later for your second Big Fat Wedding movie. Did you think this day would ever happen?
Nia Vardalos: The sequel finally? Well, the wait for this sequel is entirely my fault! I apologize. As the true Winnipeger that I am! At the end of the first movie, I had written that Toula and Ian were parents. And in reality, that struggle to become a parent was real for me. It was very long. And then I did become a mom! Happy ending! And then my daughter’s first day at kindergarten, I was crying so hard and so loud, that other moms were backing away from me! And then somebody said, hey c’mon. In thirteen years, they’re gonna go off to college. What’s the big deal. And I went, what!! And that’s the moment that I realized I might have had the idea for the sequel. And I went away and started writing. That day.
How long did it take to write it?
NV: I worked on the script on and off, for four months. Because I wrote a book, as you know, at the same time. My book, Instant Mom came out at the same time. And on the book tour, I saw myself snaked around the line at the book store. And a mom my age with a child on one side and aging parents on the other and if we’re lucky! The sandwich generation. And that’s what really informed my writing.
So how did you and the director meet?
NV: Five years ago, I met Kirk Jones. And I was a huge fan of Kirk’s, from all his movies. And I approached Kirk at a party. And in a stalker like fashion, not admitting you know, that I was writing a sequel! Actually, it was four years ago. And I said, hello. I’m Nia Vardalos. And he went, “are you?” And I said, I’m gonna work with you one day! And in the creepiest way possible, I was way too close to him! Then as soon as we were ready to go forward, I said to the producer, “I have someone in mind. I would like to work with Kirk Jones.” And the sucker said yes! And it was a lucky thing. Kirk came over from England. Why the decision was immediate upon meeting Kirk, is when he came in for the meeting, Kirk talked about his family.
Not about his body of work. Not about why Britons are smarter than Americans! Nothing like that at all. He just talked about his family. But that’s why we went for it. Because at Playtone, we are unabashedly affectionate and sentimental with each other. We just felt like Kirk was the perfect addition to the Big Fat Greek family. Yeah.
What did you do to maintain the magic from the original?
NV: I think that people go through real tragedies. And we have had the benefit of getting letters all these years from people who have told us about their lives. What I went through in my quest to be a mom, does not compare in any way. But in the quiet time that I took to reflect on that, it made me a better person. I’m so grateful that I didn’t have a biological child. Because my daughter, meeting my daughter – she was almost three, living in American foster care. All that happened, led me to my real daughter. So in the same way, I am so grateful that the idea for the sequel and the desire to do the sequel, did not come to me because what I went through, informed my writing. It let me go deeper with this next one. We weren’t afraid of that. We weren’t afraid to show what a real marriage can be like. We weren’t afraid to show that this family has aged and that’s okay. Even if they all look like they’ve been dipped in pickle juice! But families go through things. Kirk wasn’t afraid to show that and create a very safe environment on set. “Try it this way,” he would say. “Try it this way, try it that way.” The cast, because they were so comfortable in their characters, they would try it different ways.
Do you think audiences want feel good movies like this one, with no cursing and no sex?
NV: Hey, just so you know, that car scene? That car scene was full reality! Yep. We went for it! I took off my ring, and we just went for it! Yeah, I pushed the envelope a little bit. But you know what I do? I give my scripts to my mom before we film. Everything goes to my mom. In the first movie she said, “I don’t think you should have premarital sex.” So I knew I was on to something good! In the second film she said, “I’m not sure about this line, Protect the pulaki.” So I was a little bit nervous about it. So I ran it by my daughter. And she went “Oh mom, that’s hilarious! What does it mean?” So I was like, “I think I’m going to put it in,” and just push the envelope! A little bit.
We know you made the movie so that you could kiss John again.
NV: Yes! When the news of the sequel broke, I was actually doing a musical, ‘Company.’ And I went home from rehearsal and opened my computer and I saw that the news of the sequel had been announced. I was like, “I’d better say something.” I don’t have a publicist. You know, I don’t know what to do. So I put out on Twitter, “Now I’m experiencing motherhood again, I feel ready to write this next chapter and a few jaded folks might claim that I ran out of money. Or, just wanted to kiss John Corbett again. One of these things is true!”
How do the kisses compare?
NV: Everything gets better with time. He knows how to use them.
What’s up next for you?
NV: I’m in a series for EPIX next year with Nick Nolte and Sela Ward. I’m developing a play Off-Broadway and I’ve adapted a book. But I’m sorry, I can’t tell you the title yet! But I have optioned and adapted a book. Yeah.
