It's Chic to be Greek
...t Greek Wedding”, a show in which she played 10 characters. It was staged in various L.A theaters. The show was based upon her loud relatives, the traditions of her powerful heritage, and the hysteria and chaos that surrounded her own marriage to a “non-Greek”. The result, the first draft of a soon to be masterpiece written only in a mere two weeks! Vardalos says of her show: “The great thing is, the story not only speaks to individuals who come up to you on the street, it speaks to entire families.” After attending one of Nia Vardalos’ shows, actress Rita Wilson who too grew up in a traditional Greek family fell in love with Vardalos’ show and performance and came back the following night with husband Tom Hanks. Both adored the show and where extremely impressed with Vardalos. Hanks quickly signed her screenplay for his personal production company, Play-Tone, and agreed to keep Nia Vardalos as the star. The motion picture of “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” was made for under 5 million dollars and was released in April 2002. By the summer of 2002, the break-out film along with Vardalos’ underdog success story and her connections with Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” continued to open up in more and more theaters. All of a sudden the motion picture was challenging summer favorites and box office blockbusters such as “Austin Powers: Goldmember” and “Signs”. It’s take exploded upwards to 230 million dollars making it the highest-grossing independent feature ever released. One interviewer commented on Michael Constantine’s performance as the father “Gus” in “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”. “Does your father really have a Windex fetish as Gus’s character did?” asks the reporter of Vardalos’ own father. She replies: “Yes, I’ll admit it. I know it sounds crazy, but now he swears by vitamin C and calcium. The Windex people have given me a resounding thank you for the plug -- although I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone for getting rid of pimples.” Vardalos proves that her movie is true to it’s Greek roots to the very last detail. Vardalos’ career skyrocketed by her sheer talent and sticking to her roots. Many people could relate to Vardalos through her movie. Vardalos stated in a “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” interview: “I don't even pay attention to the box office figures. I just love it when a woman comes up to me on the street, and says 'I am you' -- that to me, equals success, not dollars. I don't care about the dollars.” As a performer she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy and as a writer was nominated for an Academy Award. Vardalos of course brought her entire family to the ceremonies. Vardalos says: ” I have an incredible family that is so supportive. Th...