"Nice Greek girls are supposed to do three things in life: marry Greek boys, make Greek babies and feed everyone until the day we die…

When I was growing up, I knew I was different The other girls were blonde and delicate, and I as a swarthy six-year old with sideburns …

My dad believed in only two things: that Greeks should educate non-Greeks about being Greek; and that any ailment, from psoriasis to poison ivy, could be cured with Windex.

Toula Portokalos

Actress-writer Nia Vardalos had a story to tell; a big, fat, autobiographical story about the Greek family she grew up with in Winnipeg, Canada. Developing it for the stage, she wrote and performed the one-woman show in Los Angeles because, she laughs, "I wanted to get a better agent."

The popular one-woman show drew numerous Hollywood executives, hundreds of Greeks and one Greek actress in particular, Rita Wilson. She brought her mother to see the show and then visited back stage.

"She was gracious and wonderful and said this should be a movie," says Vardalos, who, unbeknownst to anyone, had already completed a screenplay adaptation. And a week later, Wilson sent her husband, Tom Hanks, to see the show. Unlike his wife, Hanks didn't visit her backstage.

"Instead, he wrote me a beautiful letter---how marrying a Greek woman, and marrying into a Greek family had changed his life," recalls Vardalos. "I would call my mom every week or so and read her the letter and she would cry."

Two months later, Hanks called her at home and said his production group, The Playtone Company, wanted to make her movie. It's at this juncture, says Nia, that her "Cinderella story" began. Although several production companies had offered to develop a movie, including one who wanted to turn it into an Hispanic story, Hanks, his producing partner Goetzman, and Rita were willing to take a chance on Vardalos-and make the film with her in the starring role.

Vardalos initially optioned her screenplay for a mere $500. She was paid just $150 000 to star in the film. She is also guaranteed around eight percent of the film's profits after expenses and distribution fees are deducted - eventually she could earn more than $7 million.

Other financing came from Gold Circle, a little known two-year old Beverly Hills financing/production company, owned by Gateway Computer co-founder Norm Wait - the company had made only straight-to-video films before consultant Paul Brooks showed up with 'Greek Wedding'. Gold Circle kicked in $2.5 million for production costs and shouldered the marketing expenses.

The rest of the financing came from another company best known for its cable TV shows - HBO (Home Box Office), who agreed to finance the film as a favour to Hanks, who had produced the acclaimed miniseries 'Band of Brothers' and 'From the Earth to the Moon' for the cable network.

Another under-the-radar company that will see unexpected riches is production outfit MPH, whose co-founder, Jim Millio, wrote and directed 'Men Seeking Women', in which Vardalos had a minor role.

The film finally cost $5 million to make and cost lest than $20 million to market. At the beginning of November (before its release in South Africa) the film passed the $100 million mark, and will generate more profit from DVD and Video Sales.

"She did a smart thing," says Hanks. She said "this is my story and I want to play it. That actually brings a huge amount of integrity to the piece, because it's Nia's version of her own life and her own experience. I think that shows through on the screen and people recognise it."

Director Joel Zwick concurs with Tom: "I'II tell you something; not only does the camera love Nia but she is one tremendous actor. Her own buoyant spirit permeates everything she does. That has been a phenomenal surprise, and it makes this movie special."

Since she had been telling hilarious stories about her family for most of her life, a friend encouraged her to write the show.

"I basically took every Greek wedding I've ever been to, including mine, and on a scale of one to ten, "I turned it up to an eleven."

Vardalos was born and raised in Winnipeg. A talented member of Chicago's famed "Second City" from 1986-1995, she took an unconventional path to the improvisational comedy troupe... through the box office. Although Vardalos wanted to be in the ensemble, she took a job in the box office for the Toronto company in the late 1980s. When a performer was rushed to the hospital with only ten minutes to curtain time, she went backstage and told the producers that she knew the show. With a sold-out audience out front, they took a chance. The next day, she was invited to join the talented troupe.

After two years with the Canadian company, she joined "Second City" in Chicago, where she performed for over six years. While working with the Chicago cast, Vardalos met and married fellow performer Ian Gomez (TV's "The Drew Carey Show," "Felicity"). Together, they ventured to Los Angeles to explore opportunities in film and television. Vardalos earned guest-starring roles in such episodic series as "Two Guys and a Girl," "Common Law," "The Drew Carey Show," "Boy Meets World," and It's Like, You Know..." and was also seen in the features Men Seeking Women and Meet Prince Charming.

A talented writer, Vardalos' autobiographical one-woman show began in development at HBO Workspace, a Los Angeles based workshop for new material, consequently evolved into the one-woman stage show, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," which was initially staged at the Hudson Theatre and moved to the Globe Theatre for a four-month run.

Currently, Vardalos is developing a half-hour sitcom for CBS in which she and Rita Moreno will star, to be produced by Brad Grey Television and Playtone Productions.

"When I look back, all I can say is that I'm incredibly lucky," says Vardalos. "Everyone has a family that they think is funny enough to put on film, but I am actually getting that opportunity - which is the rarest and most incredible gift that Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson and Gary Goetzman could give me."

"I owe them for life," she continues. "Gary could come to me in the middle of the night and say 'We have a body and you need to hide it.' I'd say 'All right, Gary. I owe you.

Vardalos met her husband, actor lan Gomez (who appears in the film), when they were both performing with the "Second City" troupe in Chicago in the early 1990s.

"My family was not interested in meeting lan because he wasn't Greek," she recalls. "It's not that they had anything against him. It's just my family believes there are two types of people. Greeks and non- Greeks." Gomez eventually won over the family, and, like the character of lan Miller, he was baptised in the Greek Orthodox Church.

"I believe that the movie is about any family that loves you to the point of smothering, which is any ethnic family. You don't have to be Greek... Italians, Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese, they're all the same," says Vardalos.

Joey Fatone, a singer-dancer with the world-famous recording group NSync, who appears as Toula's cousin Angelo, agrees with her. "I hadn't been to a big, fat, Greek wedding, but I've been to a lot of big, fat, Italian weddings. And I'll tell you something-they're pretty close!"

Actress Gia Carides, who plays cousin Nikki, an Australian whose father was Greek adds, "I grew up in suburban Greek Australia, and the movie is set in suburban Greek Chicago. I met Nia very recently and bonded with her almost immediately as a sister. if you come from a cultural background that is closely knit, like Greek families, you're going to relate to each other." Like Vardalos, Carides also married a non-Greek actor Anthony LaPaglia, whose roots are half Italian and half-Dutch.

While ethnic backgrounds helped bring some of the cast together, luck may have played a part in the casting of John Corbett as lan Miller, the high school teacher who fails in love with Nia's character, Toula.

On location in Toronto to film a John Cusack film Serendipity, Corbett had recently read a script he loved called MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING, and had called his agent to get a meeting. Unfortunately, there was a mix-up and the meeting couldn't be co-ordinated with his shooting schedule.

That night, he went to the hotel restaurant. He was telling a friend about a funny script he had read, and was overheard by Vardalos and producer Goetzman, who were sitting near him.

"They introduced themselves, and within ten minutes of meeting them, Gary said, 'Do you want to do it?"' recalls Corbett." I said, 'Are you offering me the role?' And they said 'Yes.' A week later I was filming the movie."

Filmed on location in Toronto, MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING benefited from the city's large Greek population, many of whom volunteered to be extras at the large, frantic, turquoise chiffon-and- crinoline wedding scenes. They joined a host of Vardalos' relatives, who came in from Winnipeg and points beyond to join in the festivities.

"The character of Gus (portrayed by Michael Constantine) is pretty close to my dad, Gus," Vardalos admits. "He walked around at the reception scenes saying 'Hello everybody, I'm Gus.' He probably thinks the movie is called "My Dad Gus."

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