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Connie and Carla in our magazines

THE MOVIE: Connie and Carla

THE STARS:
Nia Vardalos • Toni Collette • David Duchovny
DIRECTOR: Michael Lembeck

THE CONCEPT:
Practically the female version of the classic comedy Some Like it Hot, Connie (Vardalos) and Carla (Collette) are two entertainers, devoid of talent, who witness a murder and, on the run, end up disguising themselves as drag queens in a Los Angeles club.

U.S. RELEASE: April 16 2004, Nationwide
• Rated: PG-13

THE COMMENTS:

NIA VARDALOS on doing the research for the movie:
“We went to a lot of drag clubs. When I was writing the script I was going to the Queen Mary in the valley, and asking so many questions that I’m sure they thought I was bi-curious. One of the things that the drag queens said to me was, ‘please don’t make fun of us.’ So, I felt the burden of all drag queens on my shoulders, boa included. And we made sure that we never had a feeling on the set of laughing at, as opposed to laughing with.”

TONI COLLETTE on the incredible make-up that made them look like men in drag:
“It took a long time in the mornings, but it was fun to do. We had to have an initial drag look which wasn’t so great, because it was our first attempt at trying to look like a guy pretending to be a woman. The make-up artists were very well informed and well studied in that area. You know what’s funny? After we had been drag queens for awhile, when we came to do a scene as the regular Connie and Carla, I really found it difficult looking at my mouth – I wanted bigger lips. I just went ‘bigger, bigger.’ So obviously they start off looking really bad and they become more streamlined and finessed in their drag appeal.”

DAVID DUCHOVNY (Jeff) on playing a drag queen years ago in the TV series Twin Peaks:
“I tried to give Nia and Toni pointers, but they wouldn’t listen (he laughs). They were real drag queens though. I’m just a dilettante, a dabbler. I’d done it on Twin Peaks, and really enjoyed that character and thought I was decent at it, but Nia and Toni, they’re real performers. I wanted to show them, I wanted the chance to dress up and dance and sing, but they wouldn’t let me.”

VARDALOS:
“Toni and I laughed so hard through the making of this that we would fall on each other. At one point, we had to run into a shot, turn to each other and start talking right away. We ran in. I tripped because we always had those big heels on. I fell. She fell on top on me. She got up, gave me a hand to get up and I accidentally touched her in a private area. It’s all on film.”

COLLETTE:
“I grew up doing musicals, so doing this movie felt like going home. There were times when I had to pretend that I wasn’t great. I mean, I’m not saying that I’m great, but not as able as I am. I would jump at doing a musical again on stage.”

Written by Judy Sloane. Back to top

Visit the official Connie and Carla site
Images above © Universal Pictures
Feature © 2004 Visual Imagination Limited.
Not for reproduction.

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