Nia Vardalos My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2

Cast: John Stamos, Rita Wilson, John Corbett, Nia Vardalos
Director: Kirk Jones
Genre: Comedy
Rated: PG
Running Time: 94 minutes

Synopsis: My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 is the highly anticipated follow-up to the highest-grossing romantic comedy of all time. Audiences worldwide embraced the immensely relatable characters, seeing their own families reflected in the adorably brash and bold Portokalos clan members.

Written by Academy Award® nominee Nia Vardalos, who stars alongside the entire returning cast, the film reveals a Portokalos family secret that will bring the beloved characters back together for an even bigger and Greeker wedding.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2
Release Date: March 24th, 2016

About The Production

First Course: Production Begins

While many iterations of the story have been reported over the years, the global blockbuster that would become My Big Fat Greek Wedding was not actually based on writer/performer Nia Vardalos' solo show.

In fact, the reverse order is true. Nia Vardalos wrote the screenplay first but didn't have representation at the time and couldn't get her script read. In an effort to secure an agent, she mounted the screenplay material on stage as a solo show. Actress Rita Wilson saw the play and liked it so much that she asked her husband, Tom Hanks, and his Playtone partner, Gary Goetzman, to see it.

The rest is Greek history.

Not only would My Big Fat Greek Wedding end up becoming the most successful romantic comedy of all time"earning more than $245 million at the U.S. box office"it accumulated fans worldwide who have shared it with each member of their family and can quote every line of the film. Resonating with young and old moviegoers alike, it has become a touchstone in the genre.

Despite the success, a sequel wasn't an immediate priority for Nia Vardalos. Over the course of the first film's many successes, Nia Vardalos was privately struggling to become a parent. There was, however, joy to come. In April 2013, she went public in her New York Times bestseller 'Instant Mom," chronicling how she and her husband, Ian Gomez, met and adopted their three-year-old daughter via foster care…with only 14 hours' notice.

Since she had waited a decade to become a parent, Nia Vardalos threw herself into every aspect of the joys of motherhood. She explains: 'I tried to do it all"from finely chopping GMO-free vegetables for daily homemade soups to making handmade costumes."

On the first day of her daughter's kindergarten, Nia Vardalos recalls, 'I was crying so hard at the idea of my daughter starting school. Another mom, I think in an effort to calm me, said: -In 13 years, they'll go off to college and move away from home.'"

It was then and there the writer/performer got the idea for the sequel. Nia Vardalos laughs: 'I was struck by such panic and fear at the thought of my daughter leaving me that I realised I had morphed into my own overbearing, bordering-on-suffocating, Greek parents."

Nia Vardalos immediately started writing, imagining what the Portokalos and Millers' family life was like 10 years later. While still in love, she saw Toula and Ian as grappling with what all married couples raising a teenager struggle to have: balance between time with their child and time with each other. Part of the sandwich generation, Toula is also dealing with aging parents, the irrepressible Maria and cantankerous Gus, not to mention the endless needs of other cousins and friends.

Nia Vardalos wrote the screenplay over a four year period. She remarks: 'I wanted to show that the pressure that accompanies the female-parenting experience is tremendous and self-defeating. I know I can't be volunteering at my daughter's school, and at work, and have time for my family and my parents. I can't be everywhere, and yet I keep trying."

When news of the sequel broke, fans were ecstatic. In her characteristically wry fashion, Nia Vardalos wrote on Twitter: 'Now that I'm experiencing motherhood I feel ready to write this next chapter. A few folks will claim I ran out of money or wanted to kiss John Corbett again. One of these things is true."

Nia Vardalos notes that her goal was to write an ensemble story: 'I am very pro-woman without being anti-man. So yes, the men are well served in the story but because of the archaic gender gap for females in my industry, my additional objective is always to write substantial roles for the women."

The story jumps forward 10 years since the last moment we saw the Portokalos family. Toula and Ian have been married a long time and, as is typical, their relationship has lost some of its spark. Like most mothers of teens, Toula is at odds with her daughter and trying to find time for herself and her relationship with her husband.

Just like Toula is to her parents, Paris is everything to Toula and Ian. They wonder if they have to let the 17-year-old grow up and make her own choices, and not smother her with every family tradition and their own expectations of who she should be. Still, much like Toula, Paris is not content to be relegated to everyone's thoughts of what constitutes a good Greek girl. She is grappling with her family's expectations of her…and the dreams she has for herself.

Toula's parents, Gus and Maria, are now proud grandparents and asking themselves the same question that every couple faces: Where did the romance go? Maria hopes to find that spark again for her relationship. And, yes, to Gus, Windex still cures everything.

Now, Ian and Toula are struggling with some of the same issues her parents faced in the first film: How do you love and still let go?

The fact that three generations of family members are struggling with where they fit into their world brings us to an interesting fact about Nia Vardalos' deeply personal stories, and why her writing and the Portokalos family resonates with moviegoers. The writer explains her logic: 'I don't necessarily like to write a villain, because I think the conflict is usually within the internal struggle of a family, so it's common in all of them. There isn't a terrible boss or a horrible situation. It is just that this is a family problem, which needs to be solved. And getting through something difficult with someone is what brings us closer."

Once Nia Vardalos delivered the sequel's screenplay, the team met with director Kirk Jones, who has made his career out of exploring familial relationships in such beloved films as Nanny McPhee and Waking Ned Devine.
The father of three explains his interest in this type of entertainment: 'Everyone who goes into the theater has had an experience with family. Our film isn't just about Greek communities, it's about all families"brothers and sisters, parents and children. Everyone sees their own family onscreen."

For his part, Kirk Jones readily agreed to be a part of the production. He shares: 'The idea of a sequel was pitched to me before I saw the script. I revisited the original movie and wrote a list of things that I would really like to see in a sequel. About two weeks after that I received the script, and I can genuinely say that I ticked off every single thing that I wanted. In fact, from Ian and Toula struggling to find balance in their relationship at this stage to more about Gus and Maria, Nia Vardalos had put it all in there."

Kirk Jones explains that his process was one of honoring the material: 'This time out, the film is about three generations of relationships, and it's saying that if you enter into a relationship, you can never take it for granted. Remember, wherever there is drama, there is comedy as well."

Nia Vardalos enjoyed watching the reserved British director take on the boisterous, raucous cast. She laughs: 'Kirk Jones had no idea what he was about to get into by walking into a gaggle of Greeks, Italian and Jewish people who never shut up. No one heard him say anything because we all talk. A lot."

Greek Platter: Casting the Film

Nia Vardalos never considered writing a sequel without the entire original cast on board. Although some of them have spent time together over the years, they hadn't all been in the same room since production wrapped on the first comedy.

Joey Fatone, who plays Cousin Angelo, remarks: 'Fifteen years have gone by, and we jumped right in as if no time had passed. It was amazing."

John Corbett commends: 'Nobody on this team was happier than me. When I first read the script, I called Nia Vardalos to say it was a masterpiece." The performer discusses the relatability that the comedy, and his indelible association with one of its most memorable characters, has had on his career: 'After My Big Fat Greek Wedding was such a success, countless people of all ethnicities would come up to me and tell me the film was something their family could relate to."

John Corbett is the first to admit that he cajoled Nia Vardalos into allowing him to come back as Ian. He laughs: 'I'll bet I asked Nia Vardalos once a year if a sequel was going to happen. And one day, she surprised me. She told me that she'd written it."

The performer walks us through where we find the Portokalos and Miller family. 'We begin this story with our daughter in high school, and like a typical 17-year-old she is giving her parents a hard time," says John Corbett. 'Anybody who has been in a relationship for a decade or more will identify with Ian and Toula. The shine has worn off, the electric bill is due and we have to get up and go to work. Those longing looks and kisses have started to fade into the background. They are dealing with a daughter who isn't the easiest to get along with and is getting ready to go to college."

Nia Vardalos praises her frequent co-star and good friend for his generosity: 'John Corbett is one of my closest friends. We've been through a lot together, and I confide in him. He is such a good person. Anything that we feel in a scene, we will explore together. That's what I love about working with John Corbett."

One of the most candid members of the Portokalos family is Maria, played by star-of-stage-and-screen Lainie Kazan. 'Nia Vardalos creates human characters that everyone can identify with," she says. 'It is amazing how the first film touched so many people all over the world." Lainie Kazan was quite happy to reconnect with old friends, noting: 'It is wonderful and easy to act with people that you know so well."

Reflecting on the crux of her character's relationship, she says: 'Gus and Maria, for all intents and purposes, have been married for many years. Maria gets angry because she feels what all married people feel at one point or another"that she's been taken for granted"and decides she wants Gus to show his appreciation for her."

Her on-screen husband discusses how his character has evolved over the past decade. Says Michael Constantine: 'In the first film, Gus felt that he was doing the best thing for his daughter, Toula, and I wanted to play someone who was motivated by love. Everything Gus did was because he loves his daughter.

'I love that Gus is so human," he continues. 'He's a genuine person who only wants good things for his family. He wants to be respected as a Greek in America, and he wants people to understand the contributions Greeks made to our society."

It's impossible to reflect on My Big Fat Greek Wedding without thinking about the healant that is known as Windex. 'I can't tell you how many hundreds of bottles of Windex I've either been offered by people or asked to autograph over the years," laughs the actor.
Gus and Maria's son is Nick, who, from Toula's"and oldest sister Athena's (Stavroula Logothettis)"perspective, is still the golden boy who does everything right in their parent's eyes. Played by Louis Mandylor, who refers to his character as 'the smart-ass, overprotective brother," Toula's sibling is as much of a family man as his father. Mandylor catches us up on his character: 'Nick is married with kids, and one on the way. He now has an art school where he teaches. This is a subtle reference from the first script that Nick has made it; he achieved his dreams of being an artist."

When he reflects on the phenomenon that was the first film, he offers: 'Years ago, this family was introduced to the world, and people loved them. We now have the new film to share the rest of the story."

It's impossible to think about the universe that Vardalos created without laughing alongside Aunt Voula, played by Andrea Martin. On returning, Andrea Martin rejoices: 'The most exciting part about being back for the sequel is that the same cast is back together. Nia Vardalos did it!"

Voula plays a pivotal role in the sequel, nudging Ian and Toula into reconnecting. Nia Vardalos admits that she bases the character on some of her own relatives 'whose philosophy is a satin-red nightgown will solve any problem you could possibly have in your relationship."

Voula and Taki, who is played by Gerry Mendicino, have two children, the elder of which is Nikki, portrayed by Gia Carides. With her signature take-no-prisoners attitude, Nikki has the chutzpah that Toula admires. Carides reflects on her experiences: 'During the first read-through of the script, I got swept up into the story...and I'm in it! When Toula and Ian appreciate their marriage again, I cry, just like everybody else."

Their son, Nikki's brother Angelo, is played by Joey Fatone. 'I play the go-to guy in the family," he says. 'Whatever there's a need for"from a box of steaks to a used car"somehow Angelo has a -connection' and the item magically appears, no questions asked." Joey Fatone appreciates that the Portokalos family demonstrates qualities to which we all aspire. 'For Angelo, no matter what, this family loves him and will always be there for him."

Representing the younger generation of the Portokalos clan is Greek-American actress Elena Kampouris, who explains how she felt when she learned she got the role: 'It was special for me"being that I am Greek"to work with such a close-knit cast, and they welcomed me with open arms."

On the cultural traditions of the story, Elena Kampouris says: 'Nia Vardalos has been able to show how Greek parents influence us. They tend to put a lot of pressure on their kids as they are growing up, and they make sure their Greek roots and traditions are instilled in them. As she deals with that, Paris is trying to find herself and her own identity."

Elena Kampouris and Alex Wolff, who plays Bennett"the boy at school to whom she is longing to talk"were cast after a nationwide search. In an effort to keep the script's plot under wraps, Vardalos had written fake audition scenes for all new roles. Alex Wolff and Elena Kampouris knew they were auditioning for high-school students, but Alex Wolff didn't know his character was so integral to the story and Elena Kampouris had no idea she was actually up for the role of Toula and Ian's daughter, Paris.

They each auditioned several times, then were flown in for a final callback session with Jones, Goetzman and Nia Vardalos. Right before Kampouris and Alex Wolff arrived, they were given the real screenplay and realized the actual roles for which they were auditioning.

The young actors entered the room nervous but did a great job together; in turn, they were sent into the hall during discussions. The enthusiastic consensus was to cast them, and they were brought back into the room…but told they'd be sitting with Nia Vardalos for one final test. The camera rolled as Elena Kampouris and Alex Wolff sat on either side of Nia Vardalos, but instead of improvising a scene with them, the screenwriter told them they'd actually been cast in the roles.

Jones describes what the team was looking for in their Paris, who wants to flee her overbearing family"exactly where we found Toula in the first film: 'We needed someone who could dig deep and give a powerful performance. The first time we saw Elena was on an audition tape she had made at home. We thought, -She is incredible.' We kept looking but never saw anyone who was better than Elena in her original tape."

Further proof that the production is indeed a family is the return of Nia Vardalos' real-life husband as Mike, Ian's best friend. The Cougar Town alum says: 'For years, I made sure to be extra sweet to Nia to make sure she was going to write me into the script."

Nia Vardalos adds: 'I changed Mike's profession in the sequel because I wanted to show that in real life, things change…and I know it's Ian's lifelong dream to wear that police-officer uniform. He looked hot but said it was itchy."

The supporting cast is led by Maria Vacratsis as Aunt Freida; Rob Riggle as the Northwestern rep; and Rita Wilson as Anna and John Stamos as George, the town newcomers whose son Gus aims to set up with Paris. Maria Vacratsis explains why family and friends were so critical to have on set: 'Nia Vardalos and producer Gary Goetzman created an atmosphere on set that was inviting and collaborative. That always, always makes for better work."

Finally, the additional cast members back in the fold include Bess Meisler as Mana-Yiayia, Bruce Gray as Rodney, Fiona Reid as Harriet, Jayne Eastwood as Mrs. White, Peter Tharos as Yianni, Chrissy Paraskevopoulos as Cousin Jennie, Kathryn Haggis as Cousin Marianthi and Jeanie Calleja as Ilaria.

Upon learning the production would be returning to Toronto, Vardalos wrote in two roles for her two longtime girlfriends, professional actors based in the city. Tannis Burnett and Kathryn Greenwood auditioned for the roles of Edie and Marge. That evening, Jones sent Vardalos a simple email to inform her the women had been hired as Toula's nemeses: 'I love them, they scare me."

The table read on May 7, 2015, was an emotional day; the cast arrived, hugged and cried happy tears. Constantine recalls: 'It was wonderful being together again working on a film filled with love. It was a big family reunion."

Corbett states: 'It's like when you go to your hometown, even if it was 10 years ago, you're back in high school. After that first hug, we picked up where we left off."

After the read, lunch was served (of course!), then it was a long process to get everyone into vans for the first rehearsal. The cast was surprised to see that they had arrived at the original Portokalos family home.

Additionally, Nia Vardalos' real-life family arrived on set for several days to be background actors again at the church wedding and at the backyard reception. Her mother and sister, Doreen Vardalos and Marianne Vardalos, are the seasoned hands cooking the wedding-reception dinner in the kitchen at Dancing Zorba's, while her father, Constantine Vardalos, is reprising his role as the church chanter. The writer/actress was touched that her family flew in from Dallas and Chicago; her sister, Nancy Vardalos, who was the choreographer on the first film, flew in from Winnipeg; and that her brother, Nick Vardalos, came in from Australia.

Drinks, Dessert and Dancing: Filming on Location in Toronto

'I hoped that we would come back to Toronto to film"that we would get to go to the Portokalos house and rebuild Dancing Zorba's"and walking into each of those locations was a very emotional experience for me," Nia Vardalos says. 'For all of us, this was like sleepwalking, in which everyone was having the same dream at the same time."

As the newcomer to the team, director Kirk Jones notes: 'There are a lot of people who are working on this movie who were involved in the first one. When the crew walked onto the production and saw the sets and the actors"or when the actors were in with the same hair and makeup from the first film"they were absolutely astounded."

Nia Vardalos adds: 'The production felt it was important to honor the contributors to the first film by inviting them back for the second. In so many ways, it was a big fat family reunion."

The producers were thrilled to bring back Gregory Keen, the production designer from the first film, as well as casting director Robin Cook, the gaffer, the focus puller, the locations scout, line producers, hair team, and many of the same background actors to complete the family once again.

As was the case with the cast, the crew felt the returning sense of camaraderie. That was especially true of Keen, whom Nia Vardalos lauds as, '100 percent capturing Greekocity." He notes: 'This was more like doing a play. There was a sense of community on the set in the first film that everyone felt. Once you got the walls up again, there was something about the space that brought you back 15 years. There was a spiritual feeling that connects you to these characters."

One of the production crew's favorite scenes was when they were able to lens in an actual church. Notes Keen: 'We brought in a series of painters from Greece to paint the interior, and it is mind-blowingly beautiful."

For Nia Vardalos, she felt like she was given the chance to go home again. 'Greg helped us re-create this world by building these sets again"right down to the tiniest detail, the chipped Formica on the counter. When I walked into Dancing Zorba's again, I felt like Toula had never left that cash register." When it came to the new home sets, she was equally as amazed. 'I had no idea that the production would secure the entire street. We used to call it the Portokalos house, now we call it the Portokalos street. The entire neighborhood was so kind to us."

During the night filming at the Portokalos house"in what was known as the 'warm-up house"" Nia Vardalos, Corbett, Mandylor and Kampouris brought guitars and played songs between scenes.

Cinematographer Jim Denault says that he loved shooting the wedding. 'The Greek Orthodox church that Kirk and Greg chose is spectacular. It is an incredibly beautiful space"full of lush, warm light from stained-glass windows on all sides"which is reflected off of amazing gold-accented walls. The church was painted over the course of years by Greek religious artists, and the icons are incredibly detailed and deeply expressive. It was a highlight of the shoot for me, which is fitting for the climax of the film."

Costumes and Hairstyles

Gersha Phillips, whose 30 years as a costumer spans film and television, admits she had her work cut out for her when it came to the costumes of the cast. She reflects: 'What I love about the Portokalos family, especially the women, is that they're never going to not be in style. Whether it's Aunt Voula's smart pantsuits and chunky necklaces or Maria's flowing, colorful and stylish outfits, they don't leave the house without being dressed to the nines. And although Toula is often critiqued by her family for being too plain, she can really pull it together when necessary. I particularly love the outfit we dressed her in for her long-overdue date with Ian. She goes from humdrum to knockout."

Gersha Phillips also enjoyed dressing the men. The costumer continues: 'You might think Gus or Taki would throw on any old thing, but they were studs back in the day. They're still going to do their best to try and dress up."

Hair department head Paul Elliot and key hair Sondra Treilhard were excited to work with the family. Each of the actors was passionate about showing audiences the next iteration of their looks. Offers Paul Elliot: 'It's difficult to believe it's been 15 years since we began work on the first movie. I love that everyone has evolved into the best versions of themselves. For example, we were able to start off the film with Toula as a mousy-brown-haired working mother who isn't taking care of herself. Then we let Nia's natural curls fly when she steps out on her long overdue date with Ian."

He continues: 'And when it comes to Aunt Voula and Maria, these women could be in the hospital, but they'd have their hair and makeup done before they let the doctor in the room."

After-Party: The Comedy Wraps Production

The entire My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 cast and crew always focused on one maxim that audiences have embraced and championed since the first film: At the end of the day, what matters most is family. So much so that at the end of production, Corbett put his arm around Vardalos and said, 'Let's do it again, baby!"

Nia Vardalos concludes: 'What surprises me over and over again is how everyone sees their family in this one. The ethnicity doesn't matter; they're not relating necessarily to a Greek family, they're relating to their family. It was a happy accident. I was writing about mine, and I found out I was writing about theirs, too."

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2
Release Date: March 24th, 2016