LOS ANGELES – Actress and writer Nia Vardalos, best known for My Big Fat Greek Wedding, could not attend her father’s funeral in person on March 19 due to the coronavirus travel concerns, Variety reported.
Constantine Nicholas (Gus) Vardalos passed away on March 12. The last time Nia Vardalos saw her father in person was at Christmas when she visited her parents in Winnipeg, Canada, Variety reported, adding that Gus, 87, was the inspiration for her character’s father in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, and had been in declining health.
“It was like watching your favorite wind-up toy slowly losing its batteries over the last year,” Nia told Variety. “At Christmas, we were all there. He was on the couch, happy and mobile. He wasn’t incapacitated but not quite running a marathon… I had a feeling this might be it.”
When it was time for her to leave, Vardalos told Variety that, “there was a moment that flashed between my dad and me when we said goodbye…I think he was saying, ‘This really is goodbye.’”
A few weeks later, her father was hospitalized. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Nia was unable to return to Canada for his final days, but through FaceTime, she was able to say goodbye as local family members stood around Gus’ bed, Variety reported.
Vardalos told Variety, “They held up the phone to him and I got to thank him for an incredible life and tell him he was a gentleman and he was a great dad. My mom held his hand and said, ‘It’s okay for you to go.’”
The funeral was live-streamed on March 19. “I always said my dad has impeccable timing,” Nia told Variety, adding that “she believes that he waited to pass after social-distancing and self-quarantine became the norm because if he had died just a few days earlier, his funeral would attract a massive crowd of friends and family, many who would have flown in from Greece, Chicago, and Australia.”
“If he had gone 14 days ago when they weren’t acknowledging the global threat, we all would have gathered and it could have brought down the city and also we would have gone back to all our communities and could have spread something. He waited until the church said they couldn’t have any more large gatherings. I think my father knew he was keeping people safe,” she said, Variety reported.
Turning her grief into a fundraising endeavor, Vardalos posted on social media to inspire people to donate to nonprofit organizations using #bigfatdonation, Variety reported, adding that “she’s advising people where to donate to make sure the money is going to legitimate organizations.”
“One person wrote to me and said, ‘I only have $25, but I want to help,’” Nia told Variety.
Nia’s longtime friends Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, though battling coronavirus in Australia, donated to Nia’s father’s church which is sponsoring an outreach program for the elderly, Variety reported, adding that “Asylum Entertainment CEO Steve Michaels made sure the church had the right audio and visual equipment to live stream services.”
Read the full article at thenationalherald.com
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