Behind the Scenes of ‘Mamma Mia’: Cast Friendships, Fun Facts, and What They’re Up to Now
Plus, the must-read to believe fun facts about the ‘Mamma Mia’ cast
Meryl Streep in Mamma Mia is truly iconic, but she isn’t the only one of the Mamma Mia actors and actresses to have traveled well beyond the idyllic Greece island. The film, based on the hit Broadway musical of the same name, features songs by Abba and follows Sophie Sheridan as she tries to figure out who her dad really is.
Now we’re going behind the scenes with the stars to uncover their favorite Mamma Mia cast friendship stories and what one of them in particular thought about the reunion of the Mamma Mia cast in the film’s sequel. To learn all of that and what the Mamma Mia cast has been doing since the cameras stopped rolling, keep scrolling!
Meryl Streep
CHARACTER PLAYED: Donna Sheridan
BEST KNOWN FOR: Kramer vs. Kramer (1979), Sophie’s Choice (1982), Out of Africa (1985), Death Becomes Her (1992), The Devil Wears Prada (2006), Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), August: Osage County (2013), Into the Woods (2014), Little Women (2019) and Only Murders in the Building (2023).
PERSONAL: Streep is separated from her husband, Don Gummer, with whom she shares four children.
THOUGHTS ON MAMMA MIA: “Mamma Mia! became an important piece for me and my family at the time. When I had five little girls to entertain for my daughter’s birthday, I decided to take them all to see the show, and it was just the most glorious thing. People were standing on their seats and dancing in the aisles. It was fantastic, and anything that can deliver that much joy always deserves a place in the world.”
FUN FACTS ABOUT THE MAMMA MIA CAST: In the Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again cast, Streep has the least amount of screen time.
Amanda Seyfried: ‘Mamma Mia’ cast
CHARACTER PLAYED: Sophie Sheridan
BEST KNOWN FOR: Veronica Mars (2004 to 2006), Mean Girls (2004), Big Love (2006 to 2011), Chloe (2009), Dear John (2010), Les Misérables (2012), The Art of Racing in the Rain (2019) and The Crowded Room (2023).
PERSONAL: Seyfried has been married to Thomas Sadoski since 2017 and has two children,
THOUGHTS ON MAMMA MIA: “The whole experience was so enveloped into this warm bath, where I felt like I could be appreciated for my singing and dancing even though I’m not particularly strong at either. Even though the stakes were pretty high, it didn’t feel like they were.”
FUN FACTS ABOUT THE MAMMA MIA CAST: Amanda Seyfried’s Mamma Mia performance almost didn’t happen, as they were considering Mandy Moore, Emmy Rossum, Amanda Bynes and Rachel McAdams for the role.
Dominic Cooper
CHARACTER PLAYED: Sky
BEST KNOWN FOR: Breakfast on Pluto (2005), Captain America; The First Avenger (2011), My Week with Marilyn (2011), Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012), Preacher (2016 to 2019) and My Lady Jane (2024).
PERSONAL: Cooper is from Greenwich, London, England, UK.
THOUGHTS ON MAMMA MIA: “I wasn’t as proud of the film back then as I am now. I didn’t know who I was at that point in my life, and I had convinced myself that I only wanted to do arthouse films and heavy-hitting dramas. I took myself really seriously and didn’t fully understand what entertainment meant. I have to hold my hands up and admit that I wasn’t fully grown enough to understand the effect that a film like Mamma Mia! can have.”
FUN FACTS ABOUT THE MAMMA MIA CAST: Dominic Cooper and Amanda Seyfried dated in real life for four years.
Christine Baranski: ‘Mamma Mia’ cast
CHARACTER PLAYED: Tanya
BEST KNOWN FOR: The Night We Never Met (1993), Cybill (1995 to 1998), How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), The Good Wife (2009 to 2016), Into the Woods (2014), The Good Fight (2017 to 2022) and The Gilded Age (2022 to 2023).
PERSONAL: Baranski was married to Matthew Cowles from 1983 until his death in 2014. They had two children.
THOUGHTS ON MAMMA MIA: “I don’t think the choreography was complicated. It’s more that by the time we get to a location, you have to deal with the elements. Instead of an air-conditioned set there was an actual landscape with boys grinding their knees into sandy concrete. It was quite challenging.”
FUN FACTS ABOUT THE MAMMA MIA CAST: Christine Baranski’s Mamma Mia character, Tanya, has the same haircut in both films.
Dame Julie Walters
CHARACTER PLAYED: Rosie Mulligan
BEST KNOWN FOR: Personal Servies (1987), Jack and the Beanstalk (1998), Harry Potter I – VIII (2001 to 2011), Becoming Jane (2007), Brave (2012), Brooklyn (2015), Mary Poppins Returns (2018) and The Secret Garden (2020).
PERSONAL: Walters has been married to Grant Roffey since 1997 and they have one child.
THOUGHTS ON MAMMA MIA: “My first reaction when my agent told me they were making Mamma Mia 2 was, ‘Oh God no, it is going to be awful.’ But the script was so good. I think it is fantastic. I think it is better than the first one.“
FUN FACTS ABOUT THE MAMMA MIA CAST: The performance of Julie Walters in Mamma Mia got delayed because the actress injured herself during Dancing Queen.
Pierce Brosnan: ‘Mamma Mia’ cast
CHARACTER PLAYED: Sam Carmicheal
BEST KNOWN FOR: Remington Steele (1982 to 1987), Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), James Bond (1995 to 1999), The Thomas Crown Affair (1999), Cinderella (2021) and Fast Charlie (2023).
PERSONAL: Brosnan has been married twice and has five children.
THOUGHTS ON MAMMA MIA: “A musical was the last thing I had in mind for my career, so I was completely bowled over by the offer. But I was also over the moon about getting to work with Meryl. Then, of course, I realized that meant I’d have to sing.” Brosnan was, admittedly, one of the more unexpected Mamma Mia cast members.
FUN FACTS ABOUT THE MAMMA MIA CAST: The actor’s stepfather’s last name was Carmicheal, just like Pierce Brosnan’s Mamma Mia role.
Colin Firth
CHARACTER PLAYED: Harry Bright
BEST KNOWN FOR: Pride and Prejudice (1995), Fever Pitch (1997), A Thousand Acres (1997), Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001), Love Actually (2003), Arthur Newman (2012), Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014), The Secret Garden (2020) and Empire of Light (2022).
PERSONAL: Firth has two children.
THOUGHTS ON MAMMA MIA: “ I believe my initial reaction to getting the Mamma Mia! offer was, ‘Are they out of their bloody minds?’ If I felt I had the chops for a musical, I would’ve leaped at the chance to do one sooner. There are many musicals that I love, and I envy people who can sing beautifully. But as anyone who’s seen Mamma Mia! can understand, I don’t consider myself to be one of them.”
FUN FACTS ABOUT THE MAMMA MIA CAST: Colin Firth’s part in the film is one of the actor’s favorites.
Stellan Skarsgård: ‘Mamma Mia’ cast
CHARACTER PLAYED: Bill Anderson
BEST KNOWN FOR: Home to the Night (1977), The Ox (1991), Good Will Hunting (1997), Pirates of the Caribbean (2006 and 2007), The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009), Cinderella (2015) and Dune (2021 and 2024)
PERSONAL: Skarsgård has been married twice and has eight children,
THOUGHTS ON MAMMA MIA: “I wasn’t familiar with the show, so I went to see it shortly after my audition. It was very strange. It felt like a party where the entire audience was invited. It’s not exactly good, but you feel elevated by it. You immediately become less pretentious when you see something like Mamma Mia!”
FUN FACTS ABOUT THE MAMMA MIA CAST: Skarsgård has a son named Bill, which is the actor’s name in the film.
Conversation
All comments are subject to our Community Guidelines. First For Women does not endorse the opinions and views shared by our readers in our comment sections. Our comments section is a place where readers can engage in healthy, productive, lively, and respectful discussions. Offensive language, hate speech, personal attacks, and/or defamatory statements are not permitted. Advertising or spam is also prohibited.
