10 Facts You Didn't Know about 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding'

It has been 14 years since My Big Fat Greek Wedding came out in theaters. It has been well received and considered a classic by many, and we are getting the long awaited sequel, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2. To celebrate, here are some facts you might not know about this wacky romantic comedy.

1. It's based on a play.

Actress Nia Vardalos hadn't been getting work as an actor, so she created a one woman stage play about her life. She couldn't land roles because, in her words,

“I wasn’t ethnic enough, not white enough, not fat enough, not thin enough, not pretty enough”.

2. It's because of Tom Hanks that the movie was made.

Or really, his wife Rita Wilson. She saw Nia's play and told Tom that he had to produce her movie. He agreed, and his production company, Playtone, took her movie on.

3. It's the highest grossing romantic comedy of all time.

It was an independent film, but after inflation it was made on a $6 million budget and, though it was never number one in the box office, did make almost $394 million. It is the second most profitable independent film after Paranormal Activity.

4. All In The Family...

All of the guests on the bride's side were actually Nia Vardalos' family members.

5. They never went hungry on set.

One of the worries of having such a small budget was that they wouldn't have money for food. That was never an issue, because where ever they were filming there was always a Greek restaurant nearby and they would send over food.

6. Ian got a very personal name when he was baptized.

He is given the Greek name Ioannis, which translates in English to John. The actor who played Ian was named John Corbett.

7. The hair playing was improvised.

Andrea Martin had forgotten her line, so she just reached up and grabbed him while John stayed in character until she remembered her lines.

8. Everybody is dancing incorrectly at the wedding.

It was the end of a long shoot day, and they were all so tired so the dance was completely wrong but worked within the story.

9. The title is actually misspelled.

In the movie poster, the two E's in the word "Greek" are made to look like the Greek letter Sigma, which is S, not E. To a Greek, it reads My Big Fat Grssk Wedding.

10. There was already a sequel.

t was a tv series called My Big Fat Greek Life. It was set after the Miller's come back from their honeymoon, however, while the show still featured the Portokalos family, Ian became Thomas Miller with Steven Eckholdt in the role instead of John Corbet and Toula became Nia. The show only lasted 7 episodes.