There are few actors in Hollywood with a reputation as impressive as that of Tom Hanks.
Besides being known as the resident “nice guy” of Tinseltown, Hanks has also established himself as a master of his craft and certified movie star, having made several blockbuster hit films over the course of his career.
Among his most famous films are Forrest Gump, Castaway, Sleepless in Seattle, and The Da Vinci Code. Given his intimidatingly extraordinary resume, Tom Hanks would be the last person you’d want to hang up on. But when she was still a rising star, comedienne Nia Vardalos did just that.
Her film, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, is both an underrated classic and one of the most profitable movies ever made. With millions of adoring fans around the world, the movie has been a total success for Vardalos, and it all started when she hung up Tom Hanks more than 20 years ago.
Read on for the reason why Vardalos turned down Hanks’ call and how she ended up collaborating with him to turn her script into an iconic comedy.
‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’
If you’re single and come from an ethnic family, then chances are you’ve seen (and fallen in love with) My Big Fat Greek Wedding.
This 2002 comedy starring Nia Vardalos and John Corbett tells the story of Toula Portokalos, who is still single and living with her Greek parents in her late 20s. Her family constantly pressures her to get married to a nice Greek boy but aren’t so happy when she brings home Ian Miller (Corbett), who’s not Greek.
As the two go ahead and plan their wedding, Toula’s family continues to get in the way, until she wonders whether she and Ian should just run away together.
Hilarious and relatable for many, My Big Fat Greek Wedding is one of the most iconic films of the noughties. It has a string of famous fans, including Tom Hanks, who served as a producer for the movie. While the film has been undeniably successful, it came from humble beginnings.
The Humble Beginnings Of ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’
When Nia Vardalos first wrote the script for My Big Fat Greek Wedding, she couldn’t get anyone to take a chance on it. After her agent dropped her, she decided to turn the script into a one-woman show, hoping that she would land an agent after performing it.
As it turns out, Vardalos landed more than an agent. She caught the attention of Tom Hanks.
How Tom Hanks Got Wind Of Nia Vardalos’ One-Woman Show
Tom Hanks first got wind of My Big Fat Greek Wedding when his wife, Rita Wilson, went to Vardalos’ show and fell in love with it. Being of Greek heritage herself, Wilson could instantly connect with Vardalos’ portrayal.
Wilson went backstage to meet Vardalos after seeing the show at Second City and told her that she could imagine the material being adapted into a movie.
Wilson, who has been happily married to Hanks since 1988, connected with the story so much that she suggested Hanks and his business partner, Gary Goetzman, see it. As Wilson predicted, they loved it and decided to turn it into a movie.
“The next thing I know, Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman, who had just formed Playtone, came to the show,” Vardalos recalled (via ABC News). “And Tom called me and said, ‘I'm gonna make your movie.’”
Why Nia Vardalos Hung Up On Tom Hanks
For any scriptwriter, a call from Tom Hanks would be the call of a lifetime. But Nia Vardalos reportedly hung up on the movie star when he called.
According to Cheat Sheet, Vardalos’ friends had called her pretending to be Tom Hanks expressing interest in her work after she had told them that he had seen her show.
So by the time the real Tom Hanks called, Vardalos was certain it was just her friends playing another trick on her and hung up on him.
Luckily, Vardalos eventually realized what had happened and was able to connect with Hanks, who then helped turn her show into a hit film.
Nia Vardalos Called Tom Hanks Her Mentor
After they first connected through My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Nia Vardalos and Tom Hanks maintained a strong working relationship. The actress reportedly thinks of Hanks as her mentor, referring to him as such in the media.
In 2016, Tom Hanks returned to produce the sequel to the film, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2.
Nia Vardalos And Tom Hanks Are Still Friends Today
Nearly 20 years after they first connected, Tom Hanks and Nia Vardalos are still friends.
Back in 2017, they were seen strolling through New York City’s Soho neighborhood with Hanks’ wife Rita, who first brought the two friends together.