WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3.
Summary
- My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3's cast is missing a few characters from the previous two films.
- One example is Bess Meisler's character Yiayia, who is noticeably absent from the film, potentially because she has retired from acting
- My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 honors the beloved character Gus, who's not in the movie, through family photos and a touching flashback scene.
The My Big Fat Greek Wedding franchise is known for its romantic storylines, beautiful setting, and vibrant cast of characters, but some of these characters are noticeably missing from By Big Fat Greek Wedding 3. Years in the making, the third movie was highly anticipated and contained many of the elements of the first two films that audiences were captivated by. My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 leaned into nostalgia and made audiences feel like they were transported to Greece with the Portokalos family once again, but some characters' absences were difficult not to notice.
While My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3's returning cast stirred up nostalgia for the audience, the story was arguably incomplete due to the missing characters. Naturally, For a number of reasons, not every cast member could make their way back to the Portokalos family. Here is every My Big Fat Greek Wedding character missing from the third film, why they did not return, and how their absence was addressed by the movie - if at all.
4 Michael Constantine as Gus
Gus' iconic quotes from My Big Fat Greek Wedding were some of the most memorable parts of the first two movies and his absence was dearly missed in the third. The writer and star of the film, Nia Vardalos, shared in an Instagram post that before the actor behind the character, Michael Constantine ed away, he gave his full blessing for the third movie to happen. She also shared that some of Michael's last words to her were his urging and hopes that they would continue without him and film the third movie soon.
Although Gus is not in My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, the character's presence is felt throughout the movie in a respectful way. Gus can be seen in a number of family photos, and there was a touching flashback scene of Gus as a child. Through these moments, both Gus, the character, and Michael Constantine, the actor, are honored and live on in the franchise they contributed so much to.
3 Bess Meisler as Yiayia
Another missing and missed character from My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 is Bess Meiseler's character, Yiayia who was Toula's grandmother and Kostas' mother. Known as the comedic wildcard of the film, her absence was evident throughout the threequel. Although Bess, nor the rest of the cast, have commented on why she wasn't present in the film, she has not worked on a major project since My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 in 2016, indicating that she may have put her acting days behind her.
2 Ian Gomez as Mike
Ian Gomez played Mike in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, and he has some personal ties to the films. Gomez is the ex-husband of Nia Vardalos, and the original film was partially inspired by their relationship. Gomez played the role of the best man to Ian Miller (John Corbett). Although Gomez is not present in the third movie, he is still connected to the film.
The daughter he and Nia share, Ilaria, served as an assistant during the filming of My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3. While he didn't make it into the third film, Gomez was not at all opposed to ing in on the project. Gomez told US Weekly that he was more than willing to pick up a role in the threequel. He joked that he wanted to play something like "an archaeologist or paleontologist or something." He also shared that he thinks of the franchise as a legacy and that it helped him and his estranged dad bond.
1 Alex Wolff as Bennett
Alex Wolff ed the My Big Fat Greek Wedding family for the sequel and played Bennett, the love interest of Nia Vardalos' on-screen daughter, Paris. At the end of the second movie, Paris and Bennett share a sweet kiss at prom before Paris is off to New York City for college. The third movie has Paris in a completely different spot in her life, as it is seven years later, and she flunked out of school her freshman year. With Paris being much older and dealing with figuring out her life, it makes sense that her teenage love interest is not top of mind for her and does not appear In the movie.
