Elizabeth Stamatina Fey, better known as Tina, and Andrea Martin, executive producer and star, respectively, of NBC’s upcoming Great News (Tuesday, 9 ET/PT), have a lot in common, including solid gold credentials in the comedy, writes USA Today.
Martin felt a kinship when the two starred together in Hulu’s Difficult People, produced by Fey’s close friend and fellow comedian Amy Poehler.
“The chemistry was so great because we both came from the same place, Second City,” Martin says. “There was an unspoken language, a trust. I just thought there was a certain ease about it. How lucky to be able to play with someone who has the same type of story. Armenian, Greek. Did you feel that, Tina?
Fey’s mother, born in Piraeus, was the daughter of Greek immigrants: Vasiliki Kourelakou, Fey’s maternal grandmother, left Petrina (in Laconia) alone and arrived in the United States in February 1921.
Fey’s father had English, German, Northern Irish and Scottish ancestry; one of his paternal ancestors was John Hewson (1744-1821), a textile manufacturer who immigrated to America with the support of Benjamin Franklin, allowing Hewson to quickly open a quilt factory in the neighborhood of Kensington in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, according to Wikipedia.
Speaking of Greek-Americans, what does Fey think of Martin’s portrayal of Aunt Voula in two My Big Fat Greek Wedding films and a short-lived TV series about the characters?
“She’s great in movies,” Fey says before asking a question. “As I told him, I always wondered what was wrong with my phone when casting these films. Should I call for a Verizon representative to come? I do not know what to do.
Martin, laughing, chimes in: Tina is “literally the only famous Greek who hasn’t been called out on My Big Fat Greek Wedding.” I’m going to change that if we do MyBig Fat Greek Wedding 3. I’ll be in the casket, but you can be one of the pallbearers. A Greek !
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