Nobody was expecting the original My Big Fat Greek Wedding to be a big fat hit, but it was still a very important part of the lives of both actress Elena Kampouris and former N*SYNC star Joey Fatone.

While their experiences with My Big Fat Greek Wedding and its sequel could not be more different, Kampouris and Fatone had one big, fat thing in common: their families.

Elena Kampouris on her own ‘Big Fat Greek’ family

Newcomer Elena Kampouris plays the role of Paris Portokalos, Toula and Ian’s daughter, who is going through a few Greek-family-related problems of her own.

Kampouris admitted to Hypable in our exclusive interview that she was able to relate to Paris extraordinarily well due to her own (slightly overbearing) Greek family.

“My family invited themselves to the premiere,” revealed a laughing Kampouris.

According to Kampouris, the film has been a family favorite ever since it hit theaters in 2002. “My father showed it to me at four or five, and I have probably seen it 1000 times since then.”

For an upcoming actress like Kampouris, appearing front-and-center in the big Greek sequel wasn’t only a professional goal, but a personal lifelong dream.

“There was a moment when my stomach exploded into butterflies,” said Kampouris, reminiscing about the moment she found out that she was going to be in the film. “My Greek family is so proud.”

Joey Fatone on scoring the role in the original

While Kampouris has had her whole life to obsess over My Big Fat Greek Wedding, former N*SYNC member Joey Fatone remembers stepping in to read for the role before anyone even knew about it.

“I had no idea what the movie was about,” recalls Fatone.

Playtone, the studio responsible for bringing My Big Fat Greek Wedding and its sequel to the world, was casting a Beatles project starring Tom Hanks. Since N*SYNC was at the height of its fame, they brought Fatone in with a few other boy band stars to read for multiple roles.

Meanwhile, in the next room, auditions for some strange Greek comedy about a wedding were taking place.

It only took a suggestion from the receptionist to get Fatone in the room, where he immediately was able to connect to the material.

“Everyone relates to the Portokalos family,” said Fatone, who claims that his Italian family feels very much like the crazy, overbearing family in the films.

Now a career host, Fatone can be seen next in Dead 7, a film that will (no kidding), pit former boy band stars against a hoard of zombies.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 hits theaters today, March 25, 2016.