With the massive success of My Big Fat Greek Wedding,
Nia Vardalos seemed to be on the path to superstardom. However, Vardalos' journey to
Hollywood has been less than smooth. Here's why you don't see the writer and actor much anymore.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding was such a huge success that a sitcom based on the movie was
instantly greenlit. However, it would seem that My Big Fat Greek Wedding
wasn't quite right for television. Fans of the movie may even have no clue that a CBS sitcom
called My Big Fat Greek Life even existed in 2003. The series garnered
poor reviews. With a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the critics' consensus reads,
"The honeymoon swiftly sours in My Big Fat Greek Life, which swaps the earthy
charm of its big screen predecessor for a derivative adherence to sitcom clichés."
In the end, the show only made it to seven episodes. An Entertainment Weekly article
outlined alleged problems on set, and reported,
"Nia Vardalos marched off the set and begged a CBS honcho to
cancel her comedy. That was about the only thing she and the network ever agreed on."
Still, it couldn't have been easy for the star to see this television adaptation flop so quickly.
"It's like you're peering into my soul."
Following her short-lived sitcom, Vardalos would go on to take a substantial personal break from
showbiz while looking to expand her family. She wrote about her road to motherhood in her 2013
book, Instant Mom, which details the process of adopting her daughter with then-husband Ian Gomez,
after going through 13 rounds of IVF. In an interview with Chatelaine, Vardalos said,
"I think parenthood in general isn't an easy transition. I didn't want to sugarcoat adoption
or just being a mom. [...] I had such a fairytale vision in my head [before adopting]. [...] But the
reality of it was so completely the opposite that I thought, 'I have to write about it.'"
14 years is a long wait for a movie sequel, and Nia Vardalos knows that. The actor and
creator has spoken freely about why 2016's My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 took so long to
materialize. In a virtual Los Angeles Greek Film Festival masterclass, Vardalos revealed
that becoming a mother delayed her return to the role that made her famous. Vardalos noted,
"It really is why I disappeared from screens, from theaters, for approximately
five to eight years. I was in the pursuit of motherhood, and it was really hard."
However, the space between these movies had an artistic purpose, too. Vardalos told Today,
"The wait is entirely my fault. [...] I wanted to wait until motherhood."
Nia Vardalos doesn't bow to Hollywood norms, and navigating Hollywood hasn't been easy for her.
During a 2020 masterclass for the Los Angeles Greek Film Festival, she revealed that she was
told that her career would be "limited" as she didn't look like a stereotypical Hollywood actor.
"The theater school teacher told me that I was limited."
The actor was surprised to learn that her appearance as a Greek person could affect
her opportunities in showbiz, but she took a theater school teacher's advice
and began writing based on her experiences. That's
when My Big Fat Greek Wedding was born. She explained to The Hollywood Reporter,
"When Rita Wilson, Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman said,
'We're going to make this movie' — the audacity that I had to say,
'I want to play the bride,' that is the same tenacity I carried over into [adoption]."
The Hollywood Reporter asked her about the changing rom-com genre,
and Vardalos was glad to see its evolution, saying,
"I fought so hard not to wear makeup in the opening scenes — I don't even
have moisturizer on. We're breaking the rules, and that's a great thing."
Unfortunately, "breaking the rules" hasn't always been celebrated in the
entertainment industry, which could make it challenging to keep reaching My Big
Fat Greek Wedding's height of success. As Vardalos said on Busy Philipps' podcast,
"I still struggle. I still have difficulties. [...] I
get offered every Greek role that's ever been written, and little else."
Nia Vardalos married fellow actor Ian Gomez in 1993, before either entertainer had become well
known in Hollywood. However, after 24 years of marriage, the couple quietly separated in 2017,
and Vardalos eventually filed for divorce the following year,
citing "irreconcilable differences." At the time, Vardalos and Gomez jointly told People,
"We've been respectfully separated for a lengthy period of time.
Our relationship became a friendship so the decision to end the marriage is completely
mutual and amicable. [...] It is our hope that decency will prevail on the reporting
of this story which will soon be yesterday's news. Thank you for respecting our privacy."
Understandably, this change in marital status may have led to Nia Vardalos
focusing more on her family life than her Hollywood prospects.
Nia Vardalos previously expressed to Chatelaine
that in writing Instant Mom, she wanted to offer readers information, not advice.
"I heard myself announced as an adoption advocate and even though I would say it
about myself before, I actually heard it for the first time last week and I went,
'wait a minute.' I actually feel that I am a spreader of information about adoption
but I'm also a personal happiness advocate because we only have one chance at this life."
She elaborated by saying,
"So, if not having children is your personal bliss, great. If trying IVF over the 13 times
that I did is what will make you happy, great. And if adoption is what will make you happy, great."
We imagine that people who are a part of foster care and adoption communities
must appreciate Vardalos' candor, but fans outside of those communities might have no
idea that the celebrity is making such an impact.
The coronavirus pandemic undeniably altered life for everyone,
including Hollywood stars. Nia Vardalos used Instagram to address collective
anxiety around the pandemic. In a May 2021 video, the star said,
"I know that we're all wondering, 'Is this ever gonna end?'"
She added,
"You're not alone. I feel the same way.
I am an optimist. I do think everything is going to be okay."
During this time, Vardalos kept very busy working as a volunteer,
helping out at vaccine sites and putting together meals for medical staff,
volunteers, and police through World Central Kitchen.
Nia Vardalos hasn't publicized her voiceover work too much, but she has been heard,
rather than seen, in several different programs over the years. As she was working to find
a place on camera in Los Angeles, Vardalos took voiceover gigs to earn money. However,
her more recent voiceover credits include the DuckTales reboot, Star vs. the Forces of Evil,
and a Netflix project called Charming. Her character on DuckTales is Selene,
who naturally happens to be a Greek Moon Goddess and appears in four episodes.
Perhaps Vardalos doesn't talk about voiceover as often these days, because the medium was a
source of income before My Big Fat Greek Wedding, but she definitely seems to appreciate the work.
Back in 2019, actor Ian Gomez revealed to Us Weekly that his ex-wife, Nia Vardalos,
was considering making a third movie in the My Big Fat Greek Wedding franchise, but he wouldn't
spill anything juicy. Vardalos decided to set the record straight in April 2021 on Instagram.
"I wanted to clear up a rumor. [...] Yes, it is true that for over a year,
we have been trying to film a script that I wrote called My Big Fat Greek Wedding
3. [...] But what is also true is that we are not filming, because [...] the fact is that we
are an independent film. And apparently, independent films cannot get insurance."
Hopefully, Vardalos will be back on our screens again soon. Basically,
as soon as the insurance is secured, she said,
"We are going to Greece to film!"
Nia Vardalos is a multi-talented performer and writer, but fans of My Big Fat Greek
Wedding could have missed some of her other work since she was out of sight for a while.
Vardalos said in the Los Angeles Greek Film Festival's masterclass,
"After I was in the pursuit of motherhood, the phone stopped ringing, and at that time,
it was a relief, because I just wanted to write and get off camera and just be left
alone [...] I didn't leave acting, I didn't quit — I just didn't want to act at that time."
"And even though I'm taking a step back, I will always be right here."
She jumped back into acting with the 2009 movie, My Life in Ruins,
but another medium has always been there for her. As Vardalos told Broadway World in 2019,
"I had always worked on stage. I am classically trained and made a living doing plays,
Shakespeare, musicals and, of course, waitressing."
One reason people might not be aware of Vardalos' most recent play is because it was just as long a
haul as her breakout movie once was. The actor adapted Cheryl Strayed's book, Tiny Beautiful
Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar, for the stage, and has also performed
in the production as the lead, a dating advice columnist named Sugar. She told Broadway World,
"We began reaching out to Cheryl Strayed in the early Fall of 2013.
I began writing by Thanksgiving and several workshops later, we were on stage at the Public."
The play finally opened Off-Broadway in 2016 at The Public Theater under
the direction of Hamilton's Thomas Kail, and has since toured in Hawaii and Mexico.
During her Los Angeles Greek Film Festival masterclass in 2020,
Nia Vardalos opened up to the participants about her father's death.
"We lost my dad in March, and of all the amazing outpouring of love and just people
being so supportive [...] I got the most beautiful note from Michael Constantine."
Constantine played her father, Gus, in My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Vardalos continued,
"I have so many pictures of Michael Constantine and my dad, Constantine,
on set together. [...] Michael Constantine wrote me a note that said, 'Love, your other dad.'"
According to Variety,
"[Gus Vardalos'] funeral was livestreamed from the same church of which he was once president."
Sadly, Nia was unable to go home to Winnipeg, Canada, due to the coronavirus pandemic,
so she told her father goodbye via FaceTime. As she told Variety,
"They held up the phone to him and I got to thank him for an incredible life and tell him he was a
gentleman and he was a great dad [...] My mom held his hand and said, ‘It’s okay for you to go.'"
Around this time, the star organized charitable donations in her father's name.
Rita Wilson and Tom Hanks also donated money to the church Gus belonged to,
which sponsored an elderly outreach program. Vardalos told Variety of her fundraising projects,
"People in our industry, we're fortunate, we're privileged, we're pampered and some of us want to
use our voices to do something [...] We have to do some good or we're going to go nuts."
Social media pressures can be too much for anybody, and celebrities have their share
of social media troubles, as Nia Vardalos has learned. The star will not tolerate "trash talk"
on her page, which she explained in part on Instagram in March 2021 when she said,
"Keep it civil. We are living in strange times and some have lost their way,
choosing to trash anyone whose views are not their own. I cherish the kind,
thoughtful, inquisitive souls here, and yes, this includes the ones who disagree with me."
Ending the post with the hashtags "no trash talk" and ”blocked," she added,
"Please join us on the high road or stay on your own trash heap of a page."
Clearly, Vardalos willingly connects with her followers, but she isn't afraid to disconnect
when she needs little breaks, and sometimes, those are for the sake of her own productivity. A 2020
Instagram post included a graphic that read, "Taking a Break," accompanied by the caption,
"Hi! I'm going to get off social media, clear my head and hopefully get some work done."
Even if we can't get My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 right away,
we're rooting for Nia Vardalos and love seeing her continue to create work that is meaningful.
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