Nia Vardalos of ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’ talks about starring in ‘Pen Pals’ play

Nia Vardalos. Photo Credit: Jana Cruder.

Academy Award nominee Nia Vardalos (“My Big Fat Greek Wedding”) chatted about starring in the new Off-Broadway show “Pen Pals,” which was written by Michael Griffo and directed by SuzAnne Barabas.

First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt once said: “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” This quote applies to Nia Vardalos.

As part of its rotating cast, Vardalos will be joined by Gail Winar (“Trans Scripts”) as they step into the roles of Bernie and Mags respectively in the Off-Broadway production of “Pen Pals.”

Their performances will take place from January 2nd to January 12th, 2025, at The Theatre at St. Clement’s in New York City.

Vardalos on ‘Pen Pals’

“I am very excited,” Vardalos said. “It is a very, very delicate play. I am very happy to be in it,” she said. “I can’t wait to take on the role of Bernie. I relate so much to Bernie, especially the need to go to theater school, and all of it. This role is just adorable.”

“This play fulfills the other side of me, which is to bring to life someone else’s words, and that’s why I said ‘yes’. The material appealed to me so much, and the offer to be in New York during New Year’s Eve is fun,” Vardalos elaborated.

“Also, the offer to get the chance to bring someone else’s vision to life is an actor’s dream, and that’s why I’m here,” she expressed.

Vardalos on Gail Winar

“Gail Winar is just a powerhouse,” Vardalos exclaimed about her luminous acting partner, who will be playing Mags.

“I’ve had one day of rehearsal with Gail and she is just such an impressive person. I am so happy to be working with Gail, she is a very giving actress,” Vardalos added.

The digital age

On being a part of the digital age, Vardalos remarked, “I like it, to be honest. During the pandemic, we all needed content, and it was a good time for all of us to absorb, watch, and bond. That was fun.”

“Making ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3’ during the tail end of the COVID pandemic was a wonderful experience because we were together after so many years of being apart; however, it was difficult because we still had COVID around,” she elaborated.

“We had nine out of our 14 leads get COVID so I had to re-write constantly, and restructure schedules constantly,” she explained.

“In the end, I loved the challenge of it! I don’t know where I get the strength other than my mom, who has Spartan blood. I love to rise to things that scare me a little bit,” she acknowledged.

“So basically, making ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3’ was both difficult and wonderful as all things are,” she noted.

“In order to be a full experience, they are difficult and wonderful. The burden of the schedule and people’s health and safety was on me, I felt a responsibility that I myself took on. We ended up filming four hours early, and had a party,” she elaborated.

“My movies are feel-good escapism; that’s what we need these days, and that’s what I provide,” Vardalos said.

“It is very easy to not be a creator, and just be a destructor… and if we did that, we wouldn’t have art, so I choose creation,” she underscored.

Vardalos on Louis Mandylor

On working with Louis Mandylos in the “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” franchise, who plays her younger brother, Vardalos said, “Louis has created an entire career for himself. What I love about Louis is that he is a screenwriter and director himself now, but on set, anytime I asked him to do anything in any of my three films, he does it.”

“I love Louis; he is in charge in his own sets, and then, he comes to our set, and he is Nick, my younger brother, again. It is just incredible to watch him. He is a very giving actor and filmmaker,” Vardalos added.

Vardalos on Elias Kacavas

Vardalos had great words about young actor Elias Kacavas, who played Aristotle in “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3.”

“I love Elias,” she exclaimed. “I call Elias a ‘young Tom Hanks.’ Elias is a wonderful actor and a wonderful guy. I loved working with him.”

Vardalos urges people to film in Greece

Vardalos is a huge proponent of filming projects in Greece, and she is urging other filmmakers and creatives to film their content there too.

“I urge people to film in Greece because we have excellent crews, and we have excellent production partners,” Vardalos said. “We hired so many Greeks for our movies, which was the goal. When you go to a country, you must hire within.”

Vardalos on her Oscar nomination for ‘Best Original Screenplay’

In 2003, Vardalos earned an Oscar nomination for “Best Original Screenplay” for writing the script for “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” which was produced by Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson.

The synopsis is: A young Greek woman Toula Portokalos (Nia Vardalos) falls in love with a non-Greek man Ian Miller (John Corbett) and struggles to get her family to accept him while she comes to terms with her Greek heritage and cultural identity.

Vardalos’ journey to earn this monumental Academy Award nod was quite inspiring.

“I wrote the screenplay first and I couldn’t get it a rep because I didn’t have an agent, so I jumped on stage to do it as a solo show to try to get an agent,” she said.

“The agents never came but Rita Wilson and Tom Hanks did. I made the entire movie and did an entire press tour, and got an Academy Award nomination, without even having an agent… isn’t that unbelievable?” she elaborated.

“That’s the story… I wrote the screenplay trying to get an agent and I couldn’t even get representation in Los Angeles,” she said.

“It is so wonderfully naïve, and I want people to know that sometimes, you have to do the work, and the rest will come. You can’t set out to be a success. You need to set out to be an artist,” she explained.

“My Big Fat Greek Wedding” became the highest-grossing romantic comedy of all time.

Advice for young and aspiring actors and filmmakers

For young and emerging actors and filmmakers, she said, “There are more opportunities to get your work seen thanks to the digital age.”

“I think that you need to look around and create your own communities,” she stressed. “If you are in theater or film school, partner with people and create your own work.”

“Don’t wait for someone to hire you because the fact is… nobody is hiring. Don’t wait for the phone to ring; call yourself with the job offer,” she added.

Stage of her life

On the title of the current chapter of her life, she revealed, “A lot of theatre.”

“A lot of theatre is about to be announced soon, and more opportunities are coming. I just am in the preparation stage, but I am feeling extremely comfortable being back on stage,” she said.

“The one message I want to get out there is that I want to be in other people’s work,” she underscored. “This is why I am doing the ‘Pen Pals’ play. Time and time again, people think I only want to write my own work, but I won’t grow if I only do my own writing.”

“I am also attached to directing two movies next year, and then, a third film I wrote and I will star in, and that’s going to come out in 2025 too,” she foreshadowed.

Career-defining moments

On her career-defining moments, she shared, “The moment that I told my best friend (who was from Second City too) that I was having difficulties in Los Angeles and that I couldn’t find work was a defining moment.

“My best friend told me to write my own content,” she revealed. “She reminded me of all the stories I would tell at parties about my Aunt ‘Theia’ Voula with the lump on the back of her neck and how my dad would use Windex for everything, and I said ‘Oh my God, do you think there is a movie in that?’ and she encouraged me to try!”

“For me, that was a pivotal moment, especially to have a very supportive best friend tell me ‘why don’t you try to write a screenplay,’ which is something I had never written before. I think about that all the time. That was incredible,” she explained.

“By the way, when I got my Oscar nomination, my best friend was the first person who called me, and then, my parents rang through, and then, it was followed by Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson calling me. That was so fun!” she exclaimed.

Vardalos continued, “Also, my mom would tell me repeatedly the following sentence: ‘why not you?’ Isn’t that amazing? My mom taught us not to complain, and to always to do things ourselves. There is no complaining or whining.”

“You just have to do things yourself. It’s funny that two women have given me the best advice: my mother and my best friend,” she acknowledged.

Superpower of choice

When asked about her superpower of choice would be, she said with a sweet laugh, “To be able to fly without packing a bag first.”

Greek heritage

Vardalos was candid about her Greek roots and heritage. “My father was from Kalavryta, and my mom’s family is from Molaoi (near Sparta),” she said.

“My mom is full Greek born in Canada, my dad was full Greek born in Greece. He immigrated to Canada and met my mom,” she said.

“I grew up in Winnipeg and went to Toronto for theatre school, and to Chicago for Second City, and wrote ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding,’ and set it in Chicago because my cousins were there, and I saw how the Greek culture had permeated there. I worked my way into Chicago life and I decided to set my movie there,” she elaborated.

In Los Angeles, she enjoys going to the St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral, which is located on Normandie Avenue. “We go to St. Sophia for services, and we go to all the other Greek churches for their festivals and picnics,” she said. “Also, I speak Greek fluently.”

‘My Life in Ruins’ film

She also recalled doing “My Life in Ruins” in Greece, where she stars opposite Academy Award winner Richard Dreyfuss and Alexis Georgoulis.

The synopsis is: “Georgia (Nia Vardalos) has lost her “kefi” or “mojo” as they say in Greek. Discouraged by her lack of direction in life, she works as a travel guide, leading a rag-tag group of tourists as she tries to show them the beauty of her native Greece.”

“I had so much fun making that movie, especially since we filmed it in Greece,” she said.

“I’ve made so many movies in Greece, and I always feel like I’m home while I am there,” she added.

Success

Regarding her definition of the word success, Vardalos said, “Success means peacefulness and laughing with family and friends, and the ability to take some time off. That’s difficult for me because I like to work.”

“Success is surrounding yourself with people you love who love you,” she added.

Closing thoughts on ‘Pen Pals’ show

For her fans and viewers, Vardalos stated about “Pen Pals,” “There is something so wonderful about friendships, and long friendships over time, where someone reveals themselves, and the other person reveals themselves in a way that is a bonding experience.”

“I think we need to trust our friends more to carry our secrets through life, and there is something very peaceful in that,” she acknowledged.

“I just saw my best friend in Toronto, and all we have to do is look at each other… and we know we have each other’s support, trust, and wisdom, and that’s an incredible experience,” she concluded.

To learn more about Oscar nominee Nia Vardalos, follow her on Instagram.

For more information on “Pen Pals” play, check out its official website.