Nia Vardalos has stepped away from My Big Fat Greek Wedding to deal with My Big Crazy Former President. And his ambitious wife.
Vardalos is happy about it.
In Graves, a new satire/dramedy that premieres at 10 p.m. ET Sunday on Epix, Vardalos (above) plays Annie Novak, a Type-A, no-nonsense, high-energy, slightly jaded political operative who is hired to manage the U.S. Senate campaign of Margaret Graves (Sela Ward), wife of former President Richard Graves (Nick Nolte).
Richard Graves is 25 years out of office and tired of being shuffled around to a series of inoffensive photo-ops. He's more concerned that the consequences of some of his policies are not as positive as he had hoped and promised.
But as Margaret launches her own political career, the last thing she needs is for Graves to start getting all unfiltered, especially when it means renouncing some of what he did.
Vardalos's Novak doesn't think that's a great idea, either, since her whole job is to clear the path for Margaret - an old friend with whom Annie now must adjust to a differently defined professional relationship.
Graves is a comedy, by the way. The best political comedy since Veep.
Vardalos hails from the funny side, too, with years at Second City even before she created the My Big Fat Greek Wedding franchise. But she says this show didn't call on the same comic muscles.
"It's a different form of comedy," she says. "It wasn't easy. It was stressful.
"But I went after it hard. I loved the character because I don't usually get to play tough people."
It's also a little different because in the Greek Wedding films and TV series, Vardalos was the writer and central character. Here, she's a supporting member of a fairly sizeable ensemble.
"This role wasn't No. 1 on the call sheet," she says with a laugh. "But when I was in Second City, this is what we did. You're as strong as the actors you're working with, your partners."
In this case, she says, that was very strong.
"Nick Nolte, you seek out actors like that," she says. "It was like working with Tom Hanks [who produced both Greek Wedding films].
"And Sela was so friendly. Off the set, we became girlfriends.
"As the filming goes on, you see what's working with everyone, and you trust the writers that good stuff is coming. I got to do really fun things, the kind of things that go on in your head when you go to the movies."
In the end, she says, Graves took a slightly different direction than she first expected. It was not unwelcome.
"I was attracted to it at first because I thought it would be a political satire," Vardalos says. "It turned out also to be a family dealing with the dysfunction we all have. People can watch it and they'll say, 'That's so my family.' "
A wacky family storyline, of course, isn't very far out of Vardalos's wheelhouse, since that's exactly what the Greek Wedding films were rooted in.
"You should always write about a family," says Vardalos. At 54, she and her husband Gomez have a 10-year-old daughter, and Vardalos readily volunteers that "I'm such a Greek mother."
Professionally, she also gets pretty involved.
"When I write something, I constantly rewrite," she says. "On My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Hanks let me watch the editing and I saw how that made it even better."
But with Graves, she says, she was happy to let take off the officer's hat and just be a soldier.
"I discovered," she says, "that I loved not being in charge."
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.