Bubba's Greek Wedding Absence Explained

In the 2022 film My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, the character of Bubba is notably absent. The role of Bubba, or Cousin Angelo, was played by Joey Fatone in the first two films of the franchise, but Fatone did not reprise his role in the third instalment. In the third film, the Portokalos-Miller family travels to Greece, where they meet long-lost relatives and uncover family secrets.

Bubba is not a character in the My Big Fat Greek Wedding films

The character "Bubba" does not appear in any of the My Big Fat Greek Wedding films. The films centre around the Portokalos family, particularly the character of Toula Portokalos, a young Greek-American woman who falls in love with a non-Greek man, Ian Miller, and struggles to get her family to accept him. The first film, released in 2002, follows Toula's journey to self-acceptance and her family's eventual acceptance of Ian.

The 2016 sequel, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, focuses on Toula and Ian's strained marriage due to Toula's obsession with being involved in their daughter Paris' life and her need to "fix" her family's problems. It also explores the relationship between Toula's parents, Gus and Maria, who have to renew their marriage vows after discovering their original marriage certificate was never signed by the priest.

The third film, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, released in 2023, sees the Portokalos-Miller family travel to Greece following Gus' death. They uncover long-hidden family secrets and work to resolve ongoing conflicts within the family.

While the films feature a large cast of characters, including extended family members and friends, there is no mention of a character named Bubba in any of the three films.

The character of Gus passes away between the second and third films

The character of Gus Portokalos, played by Michael Constantine, passes away between the second and third films in the My Big Fat Greek Wedding series. The third film, released in 2023, sees the Portokalos family travel to Greece to scatter Gus's ashes and reconnect with his childhood friends.

Michael Constantine, who played Gus, died in 2021 at the age of 94. The third film is dedicated to his memory, and his presence is still felt in the movie. Producer Rita Wilson explained how the film evolved from a story of the family accompanying Gus to Greece, but due to Constantine's passing, the plot changed to centre around the family returning his ashes to his village.

In the film, Gus's death is one of two that the Portokalos family is grappling with, the other being Ian's father Rodney. The family is dealing with grief, with Gus's son Nick bringing his father's ashes to Greece to be scattered by the oldest tree in Vrisi, per Gus's wishes.

The film also sees the family searching for Gus's childhood friends to deliver his journal, which contains his life story. They eventually locate three of his friends and Toula, Gus's daughter, presents them with the journal. Later, Gus's children, Toula and Nick, scatter his ashes around the tree.

The third film sees the family travel to Greece

The third film in the My Big Fat Greek Wedding franchise sees the Portokalos family travel to Greece following the death of their patriarch, Gus. The trip was organised under the guise of a family reunion by Victory, a distant relative and the mayor of Gus' hometown, Vrisi. However, Victory's true intention was to have the family revive the village, which had been nearly abandoned.

Upon arriving in Athens, the family goes sightseeing and visits Gus' childhood home in Vrisi, where they meet Alexandra, Gus' old flame. The family then travels to a nearby town, where Toula searches for Gus' childhood friends to give them his journal, as he had promised. Meanwhile, Ian befriends a monk who has information about everyone's activities in the village, and Nick searches for the village's oldest tree, intending to scatter Gus' ashes there as per his father's wishes.

The family also learns about the betrothal of Alexandra's assistant Qamar to Christos, the son of Alexandra's son Peter, whom Gus fathered but never knew about. The younger generation, including Paris, who is struggling with the responsibility of college, rejects external interference, choosing to address their issues independently.

The film concludes with a joyous wedding celebration, where Qamar's family joins them for her wedding to Christos. Paris opens up about her struggles with independence, and Toula, Nick, and Peter privately scatter Gus' ashes around the oldest tree in Vrisi. The film ends with Toula and Nick deciding to bring Peter back to America with them as part of the family.

The family discovers Gus' old flame and illegitimate son

In the third instalment of the My Big Fat Greek Wedding film series, the Portokalos family travels to Greece for a family reunion following the death of Toula's father Gus. While there, they meet Alexandra, Gus's old flame, and Peter, Alexandra's son by Gus, whom he never knew about. The family is shocked to learn about Gus's illegitimate son, and they struggle to come to terms with this revelation.

Upon arriving in Athens, the family is greeted by Victory, a distant relative and the mayor of Gus's hometown, Vrisi. They soon discover that the supposed family reunion is a ruse, and Victory is hoping that the Portokaloses will help revive the village. The family sets out to explore the village and locate Gus's childhood friends, but their search proves futile.

Toula, Gus's daughter, is particularly affected by the discovery of Peter and struggles to process the existence of her half-sibling. She confides in her family about Peter, but they are all grappling with their own grief and challenges. Nick, Toula's brother, is dealing with a separation and exhibiting immature behaviour. Their mother, Maria, is battling dementia and being cared for by Athena and her husband, Yiannis. Meanwhile, Toula and her husband, Ian, are navigating the challenges of parenthood as their daughter, Paris, struggles with the responsibilities of college.

Despite the initial shock and turmoil, the family eventually comes to accept Peter as one of their own. Toula, Nick, and Peter privately scatter Gus's ashes around the oldest tree in Vrisi, honouring his memory. They decide to bring Peter back to America with them, welcoming him as a new member of the Portokalos family.

The discovery of Gus's old flame and illegitimate son brings unexpected twists and emotional challenges to the already grieving family. However, in true Portokalos fashion, they navigate these revelations with a mix of humour, love, and their unique brand of chaos.

The film series is based on the writer's own experiences

The film series "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" is based on the writer Nia Vardalos's own experiences. The story follows a Greek woman named Toula (Vardalos), who falls in love with Ian (John Corbett), a non-Greek man. Toula, already considered a failure at 30 years old because she is unmarried, clashes with her traditional Greek family as she tries to get them to accept Ian, while also coming to terms with her cultural identity.

Vardalos has confirmed that the film is based on her own life and experiences. In an interview with ABC News, she said:

> "When I started to write 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding,' all I did was write down everything that had ever happened to me."

Vardalos, who is Greek-Canadian, has also stated that many of the side-splitting one-liners in the film were things that her family actually said to her. For example, the line, "Greek women, we might be lambs in the kitchen, but we're tigers in the bedroom," was something her mother said to her while they were making chicken soup.

The character of Toula is based on Vardalos herself, and the story is inspired by her experience of marrying a non-Greek man (actor Ian Gomez). The film's director, Joel Zwick, has also commented on the personal nature of the story, saying:

> "Even though it was about Greeks, it wasn't very far from the Jewish people. [...] This specific universality is exactly what wound up making the film so great and ultimately, such a massive hit."

In addition to the story's broad themes, specific plot points and characters are also based on Vardalos's life. For example, her Aunt Voula really does have a lump on the back of her neck that is her twin, and her father loved Windex and believed it could solve any problem.

The film's sequel, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2," was also written by Vardalos and is based on her experiences. The third film in the series, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3," was directed by Vardalos and continues the story of the Portokalos family, this time on a trip to Greece following the death of Toula's father Gus.

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