Episode 17 - The Seventeenth One... and Nia Vardalos

Wendi and Dfernando's seventeenth episode and their guest interview is Academy Award nominated a multi-award winning actress, screenwriter, playwright and producer Nia Vardalos.   Born and raised in Canada, Nia Vardalos is an alumna of the Chicago-based Second City comedy repertory company.  She gained global attention with her 2002 film adaptation of MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING, which she had written and starred in as a one-woman play in Los Angeles.  Based on her personal experiences and family, the film was a critical success and remains the highest-grossing romantic comedy film of all time. Vardalos went on to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Writing (Original Screenplay), a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination.  The film inspired the CBS series MY BIG FAT GREEK LIFE and led to a 2016 sequel MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING 2, which she also wrote and starred in and featured the original film’s cast.  Vardalos’ other notable films: CONNIE AND CARLA, which she also wrote and starred in, opposite Toni Collette and David Duchovny; made her directorial debut with the film I HATE VALENTINE’S DAY; MY LIFE IN RUINS with Richard Dreyfuss (the first American production given permission to film at the Acropolis); and co-wrote with Academy Award winner Tom Hanks the film LARRY CROWNE.  She continues to write screenplays, but regularly returns to television.  Her first appearances as an actress were on numerous hit television series like THE DREW CAREY SHOW, CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM, BOY MEETS WORLD and TWO GUYS, A GIRL AND A PIZZA PLACE.  Other notable television appearances have been on DROP DEAD DIVA, COUGAR TOWN, GREY’S ANATOMY, LAW a ORDER: SVU, JANE THE VIRGIN, THE CATCH, GRAVES, CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND and most recently the TV movies SAME TIME, NEXT CHRISTMAS, POISONED LOVE: THE STACEY CASTOR STORY and CHRISTMAS ROMANCE AL DENTE.  From 2015 to 2017, Vardalos and Ian Gomez co-presented the first two seasons of ABC TV’s THE GREAT AMERICAN BAKING SHOW.    She made her Broadway debut in THE 24 HOUR PLAYS 2006 as Mary in Julia Cho’s THE FIRST TREE IN ANTARCTICA, directed by Andrew McCarthy, followed by the 2009 The Actors Fund's CHANCE a CHEMISTRY, a centennial celebration of Frank Loesser.  A chance meeting with Tony Award a Emmy Award winning director Thomas Kail (HAMILTON, IN THE HEIGHTS, FX’s FOSSE/VERDON) led to her adapting for the NY stage Cheryl Strayed’s 2012 book TINY BEAUTY THINGS, where she originated the role of Sugar.  The play had 2 acclaimed runs at The Public Theater in 2016 and 2017 and had a limited run at the Pasadena Playhouse in 2019.  On May 6, 2020 Vardalos and the entire original cast of the play did a live-stream reading of the play as a benefit for The Actors Fund.    After thirteen distinct in vitro fertilization attempts had failed, Vardalos’ struggle to become a mother ultimately led her and then husband Ian Gomez to adopt.  She went on to tell her journey in her New York Times best-selling book INSTANT MOM, which was published in 2014. Also on Episode 17, Wendi brings up cryotherapy, hot flashes, and the weekly RIPE a ROTTEN REPORT mentions Comedy Central's Emmy Award winning series DRUNK HISTORY, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Broadway's HAMILTON and Wim Hof's deep breathing method.  Follow us on our Instagram: Wendi McLendon-CoveyDfernando ZarembaGENERATION RIPE ... and our guest Nia Vardalos and her Twitter Remember to subscribe to GENERATION RIPE Visit Dfernando Zaremba's website: dfernandozaremba.com

2356 232

Suggested Podcasts

All About Wine BTR

Sam Mollaei and Neil Tyra

B. T. Newberg and history nerd friends

Kelly Guimont and Lisa Melton

The Stanley Kubrick Appreciation Society

Blind Abilities Team

Gary Chaffee

Naithik Mukkawar