My Big Fat Greek Wedding": Did You Spot Joey Fatone

Joey Fatone, an American singer, dancer, actor, and television host, played the role of Cousin Angelo in the 2002 romantic comedy film My Big Fat Greek Wedding and its 2016 sequel. In the film, Angelo is the comical cousin of the protagonist, Fotoula Toula Portokalos, and he has a memorable scene in the sequel where he comes out as gay to his family and introduces them to his partner. Fatone is best known as a member of the boy band NSYNC but has also branched out into acting, with roles in films like On the Line and The Cooler, and television shows like Hannah Montana and Impractical Jokers.

Joey Fatone's character in 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding'

Joey Fatone plays the character of Cousin Angelo in the 2002 film My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Angelo is the son of Aunt Voula, who is the sister of Maria Portokalos, the mother of the protagonist, Fotoula "Toula" Portokalos.

In one scene, Angelo is at the family restaurant, Dancing Zorba's, with his sister, Cousin Nikki, and his mother, Aunt Voula. Angelo teases his sister about spending too much time at the beauty parlour, and Nikki retorts by criticising Angelo for being lazy. Angelo then mocks Nikki's hair, asking if someone sat on it.

In another scene, Angelo teaches Ian Miller, Toula's love interest, some Greek. Ian is attempting to learn the phrase "everyone, let's go into the house", but instead, Angelo teaches him the phrase "I have three testicles", which causes the family to erupt in laughter.

Joey Fatone's acting career

Joey Fatone is an American singer, dancer, actor, and television host. He is best known as a member of the boy band NSYNC, but has also had a successful acting career.

Fatone made his acting debut at the age of seven as an extra in Sergio Leone's final film, "Once Upon a Time in America" (1984). However, his acting career took off after his time with NSYNC, when he co-starred in the romantic comedy "On the Line" (2001) with his bandmate Lance Bass. Although the film was not a success, Fatone soon scored a small but memorable part as a callow lounge singer in the critically acclaimed drama "The Cooler".

In 2002, Fatone played Cousin Angelo in the comedy film "My Big Fat Greek Wedding", a role he reprised in the TV spin-off "My Big Fat Greek Life" and the 2016 sequel. In the same year, he made his Broadway debut, playing the lead in "Rent" at the Nederlander Theatre in New York. He went on to act in several other productions, including "Little Shop of Horrors", "The Producers", and "42nd Street" in Pittsburgh, and "Rock of Ages" at Bally's Las Vegas.

Fatone has also appeared as himself in several TV shows and films, including the kung fu skit "Enter the Fat One" in the first season of "Robot Chicken", the Syfy film "Jersey Shore Shark Attack", and the TV series "Return of the Mac" and "Cursed Friends". He has also been a contestant on "Dancing with the Stars" and a host on several other TV shows, including "The Singing Bee", "Family Feud", and "My Family Recipe Rocks".

In addition to his acting career, Fatone has also been a producer and worked in the music department on several projects, including "NSYNC'S Challenge for the Children", "Lundon's Bridge and the Three Keys", and "Trolls Band Together".

The plot of 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding'

Joey Fatone plays the role of Cousin Angelo in the 2002 romantic comedy film "My Big Fat Greek Wedding". The film, directed by Joel Zwick and written by Nia Vardalos, follows the story of a young Greek-American woman, Fotoula "Toula" Portokalos, who falls in love with a non-Greek man, Ian Miller, and faces the challenge of getting her traditional Greek family to accept him.

Toula is a 30-year-old member of a large, loud, and intrusive Greek family that only wants her to get married and settle down. She works in her family's Chicago restaurant, "Dancing Zorba's", but dreams of doing something more fulfilling with her life. One day, while working at the restaurant, she meets Ian Miller, a school teacher, and develops a crush on him.

Toula decides to make some changes in her life, starting with her appearance. She switches her thick-framed glasses for contact lenses, styles her hair, and starts wearing makeup and brighter clothes. She also enrols in a course on computers and tourism, hoping to apply her new skills to her Aunt Voula's travel agency.

As Toula's happiness and confidence grow, she catches the attention of Ian, who asks her out on a date. They fall in love, but Toula knows that her family will not approve of her dating a non-Greek man. She lies about taking a pottery class to continue seeing Ian, but her lie is soon exposed when they are caught kissing by a family friend.

Toula's father, Gus, is furious that Ian did not ask for his permission to date his daughter and forbids them from continuing their relationship. However, Toula and Ian continue dating in secret. Despite her father's disapproval, Ian proposes to Toula, and she accepts.

Eventually, Toula's family accepts Ian, but they constantly involve themselves in the wedding planning, leading to some comedic mishaps. The film culminates in a heartwarming wedding reception where Gus delivers a speech about how their cultural differences do not matter, and the two families come together to celebrate.

The film received positive reviews from critics and was a box office success, grossing $368.7 million worldwide against its $5 million budget. It spawned two sequels, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2" and "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3", released in 2016 and 2023, respectively, continuing the story of the Portokalos family.

The cast of 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding'

The cast of My Big Fat Greek Wedding includes:

• Nia Vardalos as Fotoula "Toula" Portokalos, a young Greek-American woman who falls in love with a non-Greek man, Ian Miller.
• John Corbett as Ian Miller, an English teacher who falls in love with Toula.
• Lainie Kazan as Maria Portokalos, Toula's mother.
• Michael Constantine as Costas "Gus" Portokalos, Toula's father.
• Andrea Martin as Aunt Voula, Maria's sister and the owner of a travel agency.
• Louis Mandylor as Nikos "Nick" Portokalos, Toula's younger brother.
• Gerry Mendicino as Uncle Taki, Voula's husband.
• Joey Fatone as Cousin Angelo, Voula's son.
• Gia Carides as Cousin Nikki, Voula's daughter.
• Bess Meisler as Yiayia, who suffers from PTSD.
• Stavroula Logothettis as Athena Portokalos, Toula and Nick's older sister.
• Ian Gomez as Mike, Ian's best friend.
• Bruce Gray as Rodney Miller, Ian's father.
• Fiona Reid as Harriet Miller, Ian's mother.
• Jayne Eastwood as Mrs White, a non-Greek neighbour.

The film also features Kathryn Haggis as Cousin Marianthi, Peter Tharos as Yianni (Athena's husband), and Maria Vacratsis as Theia Freida.

The production of 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding'

My Big Fat Greek Wedding is a 2002 romantic comedy film directed by Joel Zwick and written by Nia Vardalos, who also starred in the lead role. The film is based on Vardalos's own experience of marrying a non-Greek man and was first developed as a one-woman 45-minute monologue workshop in the HBO Workshop in 1997. It was then performed in Chicago, Toronto, Europe, and Los Angeles, before being adapted into a film.

The film is a co-production between the United States and Canada and premiered at the American Film Market on February 22, 2002, before being theatrically released in the US on April 19, 2002. It stars John Corbett as Ian Miller, a schoolteacher who falls in love with Vardalos' character, Fotoula "Toula" Portokalos, a Greek-American woman from a large, intrusive family who wants her to get married and have children. The cast also includes Lainie Kazan, Michael Constantine, Andrea Martin, and Joey Fatone, who plays Cousin Angelo.

Principal photography for the film began on May 9, 2001, and ended on June 30, 2001, with filming taking place in both Toronto and Chicago. The film was a sleeper hit, receiving positive reviews from critics and grossing $368.7 million worldwide against a $5 million budget. It was nominated for several awards, including Best Original Screenplay at the 75th Academy Awards. The film's success spawned a franchise, including two sequels and a television series.

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