Nia Vardalos is back for a second helping of “My Big Fat Greek Wedding.”
Back in 2002, the first film shattered box office records and made a significant mark in the rom-com genre. In the sequel, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2,” out now, Vardalos continues to find humor in her Greek culture.
This time around, the lovable Toula (Vardalos) is experiencing the pains of raising a teenager who wants to get away from her overbearing family, as well as the chaos of planning an extravagant wedding.
amNewYork sat down with the writer and star of the growing franchise.
The industry has changed a bit for women, as more female writers and filmmakers are being heard. It’s still a struggle, but it’s a slow progressive change. Going into this film, 14 years later, do you feel that there’s more opportunity out there?
It’s perfectly well-put. When I saw Amy Schumer’s “Trainwreck,” I was like “Yes!” I have the same producers, Rita Wilson and Tom Hanks, who are all feminists, so they always had a hand out to me, saying, “At any point if you would like to make a sequel we would love to produce it again.”
Was there any pressure to succeed on that scale again?
Well, I’m a fearless idiot. Ever since I approached parenthood, with the way my daughter came to me in the most unconventional way, she was almost three years old, it turned me on my head and really made me see things differently. I’ve met people who have turned to the world of adoption as the first method of creating a family, and I think it just started to show me gray areas of life. So, when I had the idea for the sequel, I quietly went into my little office and started writing and didn’t think how it would be received.
Were you surprised that people are still quoting the movie and are embracing these characters again?
No, because it happens to me every day. It’s quite enjoyable. I’ve seen an 8-year-old kid do the entire Aunt Voula talking about the lump monologue. It’s pretty funny.
Do you think you have a third chapter for this family?
I had said no for so long with the sequel and I’m never going to say never again, I’m just going to say that I’m open.
