Actress takes moviemaking into her own hands

What's an actress to do when Hollywood isn't banging on her door offering the latest dream role? For Nia Vardalos, the answer is simple: "I'm not going to whine… I'm going to write," said the Oscar nominated screenwriter of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding."

After a five-year hiatus, Vardalos, 46, is back in the spotlight with a pair of indie summer flicks. Her latest film, "I Hate Valentine's Day," marks her directorial debut and comes fresh off the heels of her leading role in "My Life in Ruins." The film is currently in limited theater release, but viewers can watch it at home through On Demand.

"Valentine's Day" follows Genevieve, a delusional florist who limits relationships to five dates for fear of getting hurt. She's able to avoid intimacy by sticking to her motto: When the romance is gone, move on. That is until she falls for Greg, a charming restaurant owner played by John Corbett.

"We have a shorthand… I knew he wouldn't diva out on me," said Vardalos about reuniting with her "Greek Wedding" costar.

Vardalos penned "V-Day's" script after producers approached her with just a title in mind. The Winnipeg native said the creative freedom allowed her to write a character to whom she was particularly drawn.

"I wanted to know what it would be like to play a floozy, a real fake who is pretending she is happy," she said.

After years in development, studio execs gave Vardalos the go-ahead last summer to direct "V-Day" over an 18-day shoot and on a shoestring budget in New York City.

Vardalos said working with limited funds produces a sense of autonomy on the set. She praised the hard-working crew who "never complained in that Brooklyn heat." Perhaps it was the popsicles she supplied.

Promoting an indie film during the summer blockbuster season can be a challenge according to Vardalos, who recently posted a photo via Twitter of her dog chewing the head of a stuffed giraffe.

"That's what it feels like," she joked.

Although follow-ups to "Greek Wedding," which holds the record for the highest grossing romantic comedy of all time, haven't been as warmly received, Vardalos refuses to complain.

"Amazing things came my way with the success of 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding'," said Vardalos, who is currently writing a script for Tom Hanks. "I guess I'm even more appreciative of the fact that I get to work."

Regarding the five year gap between projects, Vardalos said a 10-year infertility battle encouraged her to "step away" from the industry.

"I'm just not one of those people who can grieve publicly," she explained.

Last year Vardalos and husband Ian Gomez's dream of becoming parents came true when they were matched with their daughter through American foster care. Vardalos said becoming a mother brought on a new calling.

"I'm supposed to be using my big mouth to talk about the 129,000 foster kids legally free in this country," she said.

Vardalos is also using that "big mouth" to shed light on the issue of sexism in Hollywood. She recently blogged about interviewers' fixation with her weight as well as an eye-opening meeting she had with a male studio exec about a new script of hers.

The exec requested that Vardalos change the lead female character to male in order to make a buddy comedy. He declared that women movie-goers don't support female films and when Vardalos mentioned the success of recent movies like "Obsessed," "Sex and the City" and "Mamma Mia," he shrugged them off as "flukes."

Though the meeting caught her off guard, Vardalos is confident female consumers will help shift industry mindsets by speaking up with their wallets.

"Ultimately the audience tells them what they like," she said.

Still, Vardalos isn't trying to be a soapbox superstar.

"I don't just support female films … I like all movies. I don't want to come off as preachy," she said. "I try to tell the truth in everything I do."

Kyle Ridley can be reached at kridley4@yahoo.com.