Daily Mail - Daily Mail Weekend Magazine
Having the time of our lıves!
Wardrobe crises, stubble trouble, moaning from the men... and how Meryl once had a martini too many. Judy Craymer, the woman behind Mamma Mia!, shares her memories from the set of the sequel
Feel-good, funny and unashamedly camp, the film Mamma Mia!, based on the music of Abba, was the big sunshine hit of 2008, taking more than £467m and turning producer Judy Craymer into a showbusiness powerhouse.
Now the cast are back, scattering sequins in their wake and with their platform shoes firmly on.
The plot of the first film centred around Donna (played by Meryl Streep), a hotelier in the Greek islands, preparing for her daughter Sophie’s wedding – and dealing with the fallout when Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) invited three men from her mother’s past – Bill (Stellan Skarsgard), Sam (Pierce Brosnan) and Harry (Colin Firth) – in the hope of finding out which of them was her father.
The sequel, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, takes the action forwards and also backwards to the 1970s where we meet a young Donna ( Lily James). Cue lots of spandex and some of the most ludicrous flares in cinema history.
But what happens when you have a film set with a clutch of bright young things – plus Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Cher, Julie Walters and Archie the donkey? Here we ask the real Dancing Queen Judy, who set the (glitter)ball rolling with Mamma Mia! the stage show in 1999, to lift the lid on what really happened on set...
ANDY’S HANDY FOR A HUG
Another day, another cuddle with a heart- throb (above). Andy Garcia was completely in his element on the set of this film. He didn’t want filming to end – which is little wonder. He plays the mysterious hotel manager, Fernando, who is helping Sophie prepare for the re - opening of her family’s business.
Andy gets to sing in the film and he absolutely loved it. There was a big ensemble dance scene that he wasn’t actually needed for but he was right there with everyone else, saying, ‘No, honestly, I’m in.’
Andy’s beard did cause some issues for us, though. He had it during filming, but then we needed him to do another scene later and he was really fretting about whether it was the right length. Beards are always a night- mare on film sets because of continuity issues, yet all the men hanker after some facial hair these days. Dominic Cooper (who takes the role of Sophie’s husband Sky) had a five o’clock shadow. Pierce had had a beard during the filming of his TV Western series The Son and sent me an email asking if I wanted him to keep it when he returned to play Sam.
I said no. He sent one back saying, ‘Keeley thought you would say that.’ Well, his wife was right!
MY FAB ABBA FRIEND
Being in the studio with Abba’s Benny Andersson when they were recording all the music tracks for the film was another pinch-me moment. This movie is all about the music and having Benny on board was essential. I’ve known him and Bjorn Ulvaeus for 35 years, since we worked together on Chess, and he’s been a part of the Mamma Mia! project since the stage show which started it all – although he did take some persuading. Ten years of persuading, to be accurate! Benny is a genius. Every musician is just thrilled to work with him. We had a 48-piece
orchestra in the studio on the day this photo (above) was taken, some of the best musicians in the country. They hadn’t been told what project they were working on but when Benny walked in you could see the awe on their faces. And to hear those famous songs like Dancing Queen and Waterloo get the big string orchestral treatment really did send shivers down the spine.
TERRIFIC TWOSOME
Christine Baranski is a 15-time Emmy Award nominee for shows such as Cybill, The Big Bang Theory and The Good Wife. So she’s a phenomenal actress – but she’s also pure sass, and a walking, talking marvel. She sings and she dances. She’s witty, great fun, and she has the best legs you’ll see. Some big stars aren’t as glamorous off set. She’s always immaculate, perfect. I feel like a poor relation beside her. Right at the very start, when her role of Tanya, Donna’s friend, was being written, there was a joke that she was based on me – I do love a handbag and a hat – so on set we’d say that I was Tanya 1 and she was Tanya 2. The Tanya twins ( left).
There is one rather funny story that relates to Christine. I was on the island of Vis, where we were filming, but out at dinner when I got a phone call at 10pm saying that her scene the next day had been brought forward but the costume designer hadn’t had time to get a handbag and the nearest shops were in Split, two ferry rides away. Know- ing that I am never short of a handbag( or eight ), they thought I’d have one they could use. They were right! I found her one with straw and tassels – and had a matching one myself. Luckily, I’d brought two.
INVALUABLE, ACTUALLY
There isn’t an aspect of the film business that Richard Curtis – the producer, screenwriter and ideas man – doesn’t know about. Richard (above) wasn’t involved with the last Mamma Mia! film, but for this one I sought his advice because we really weren’t sure how to take it forward. I had been thinking about
making it a prequel, but I also wanted the original cast in it, which posed problems. Richa rd came up with the idea of a split t im escale, where we flit between the 70s and the modern day. He couldn’t take on the writing himself, but he agreed to play Godfather for the project, overseeing the script. His input was really invaluable, and I think he had fun joining us on the set too. He was touting for support for Comic Relief when he was here. He didn’t manage to get Cher in a red nose, but he did persuade Christine Baranski and Julie Walters to wear one.
There is a bit of rivalry between the two of us. Richard, who wrote and di rected Love Actually, is supposed to have the best contacts book in the business – but he didn’t have Cher and Meryl in his!
Now, I keep being asked if there is going to be a Mamma Mia! 3. I have no idea, but if there’s a possibility we need to get a move on. I’m not sure we could wait another ten years to make it.
WE GOT ON FAMOUSLY
All the ages on set got on joyously. We had 500 people on Vis at one stage – it was most unusual
because there isn’t a single hotel there. We all stayed in digs and met up in tavernas in the evening. Everyone joined in the relaxed atmosphere. With filming in London, actors and crew go home at night. In a big city overseas, they’re in hotels. Here, it was like being on holiday with your mates.
We had great parties ( below). And on the last film, we hit the martinis after filming. There are stories of Meryl falling asleep in the bath, and Christine waking up the next day fully clothed. Or was it the other way round? I was once on my hands and knees outside Meryl’s room looking for my Top: Judy with Hugh Skinner (young Harry), Jeremy Irvine (young Sam) and Josh Dylan (young Bill). Above: with Julie phone. We sound like alcoholics but really, any of us going over two martinis means trouble.
One of the best parties this time was our big welcome party at a 200-year- old military fort on the island. Magical! I’m proud that we older ones can out-party the younger cast. No one stays pofaced when Abba comes on. Even those who say they don’t dance – ahem, Pierce – do so.
NEW DAME IN TOWN
The incomparable Julie Walters (above), who plays Donna’s friend Rosie, got her Damehood during filming. She disappeared off to the Palace, and never said a word, but the next day she had an early call and was confused to find the full cast there. As she approached, they all burst into song, belting out There Is Nothing Like A Dame. Some of the best moments are unscripted!
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is released on 20 July.