Nia Vardalos was recently in the UK to promote My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, the sequel to her 2002 blockbuster hit.
The actress/writer joined The One Show’s Matt Baker and Alex Jones in the studio to talk about her new movie.
Adding to the Greek theme of the show was Mario Constantinou on bouzouki and Andy Christophi on guitar who, along with some plate smashing, provided the entertainment!
Nia revealed on the show that she decided to write the sequel from a 10 years later point of view. Her character Toula now has a teenage daughter who ironically finds herself in the same position as her mother did, in that she wants to form her own identity and get away from the family! Toula struggles with not wanting to morph into her dad and not wanting to let her daughter go.
Explaining the 14 year wait for the follow up to the low-budget romantic comedy, Nia said it was entirely her fault, admitting she just didn’t know how to tell the next chapter in Toula’s story, as she at the time, was in a very private struggle to become a mother.
It wasn’t until her own daughter’s first day of kindergarten that Nia’s writer’s block broke, as she realised she was unconsciously echoing her own clingy Greek parents! Thus My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 was born!
In the sequel, Toula is now the overly attentive mum of a surly 16-year-old Paris (Elena Kampouris), while her fairytale romance with husband Ian is stuck in a midlife rut.
Around their little family unit, the extended Portokalos clan – played by an array of familiar faces including Andrea Martin, Lainie Kazan and Joey Fatone – are as eccentric and hilarious as ever.
Nia said she was careful to make sure the sequel was filled with strong female characters and admits that even in 2016, it’s difficult to find such roles in the scripts she’s sent.
“It’s very difficult, even Sandra Bullock is having trouble finding work, so imagine what it’s like for the rest of us! I can’t sit there and wait for the phone to ring – so I just keep writing.”
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 is in cinemas on March 25.
