An oral history of the inexplicably star-studded, hallucinogenic ending ofMamma Mia: Here We Go Again.
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This story originally ran in February.
We are republishing it in honor ofVultures Sequels Week.
There are drugs, and then there is the ending ofMamma Mia!
Its difficult to capture its psychedelic, heartwarming essence with mere human words.
Craymer, Parker, and Curtis knew they couldnt make a second film without her.
The key was figuring out how to bring her back both quickly and believably.
This took roughly 10 years.
It was a long, agonizing process, Curtis said.
I said to her, Any ideas forMamma Mia 2?
And Scarlett said, Yeah, its obvious.
I said, It cant be that obvious because its taken them ten years to figure it out.
Scarlett said, Yeah, yeah, yeah, itsGodfather 2.
I think Scarlett got paid a dollar because Universal said she had to be paid something.
The team knew, then, what theyd have to do with Streep.
We thought,Kill her.
I was like, You got to kill her and just give her a song as a ghost.
The producers were obviously skeptical about that because thats not quite the mood of the piece.
Judy Craymer, producer:Oh God, it was terrible.
But we had to be brave.
Lily James, Young Donna:I think Id actively forgotten that shed actually died.
How could they do that?
But if shes not going to be in it, then youve gotta own that.
Richard Curtis, story co-writer:We thought death was better than a long trip to Hawaii.
Craymer:It wasnt like a soap-opera death.
The songs led us to that decision.
I mean, its a story of an odyssey.
Its got an element of Greek tragedy about it.
But she was all-in.
As waseverybody elsefrom the original.
Parker and Curtis just needed to cement their final-act surprise.
We made lists and lists.
Then there was a Broadway list, which was Bette Midler and Barbra Streisand and Patti LuPone.
But there was really no one that was both of them.
When we decided on Fernando, Richard was like, Who should sing it?
I was like, Well … it should be Cher.
Id written in the script, This is Cher.
The role went to Christine Baranski.
But shed always been in my mind.
Curtis:I definitely had a very weird conversation with Cher.
I only say very weird because it was Cher.
Id actually spent a week with herat some point.
Whether or not she remembered, I dont know, but she was told she should remember.
So I think Cher was probably pretty on board at that point.
Parker:Cher turned it down about four times.
The first three rejections were gutting.
I kept sending the script back, going, I dont think you quite realize that youre doing this.
And she kept saying no without reading it, I think.
I was like, Sorry, Im not sure youve read it, but you are doing this.
And Id get another polite turndown.
I was just trying to manifest it.
Of course she was impossible.
Lovely to talk to but a blizzard of nerves in negotiations.
She just puts out her hand likethis, so you’re able to only kiss it.
You cant shake her hand.
Its an extraordinary thing.
Shes obviously gracious and lovely and very humble as an actor.
But part of being an icon is knowing that youre an icon.
Were still really good friends.
I saw her two birthdays ago.
You ask ABBA to rewrite some lyrics, and you abide by ABBAs requests when they agree.
But the nature of a jukebox musical is that its generally theopposite.
And thats fine and glorious, and it clearly worked for the first movie.
Curtis:The tone of the film is beautifully reflective of what happens when you listen to ABBA.
Because ABBA has two things: total innocence and nostalgia.
Parker:Astonishing decision in the first movie to hire people that couldnt sing.
I remember when Dom Cooper turned up and couldnt sing.
But Im sure they could have found someone that could sing.
Christine Baranski, Tanya:I think people understood that it was something very tongue-in-cheek about the whole thing.
None of us were seasoned musical-comedy performers.
Ivedone musicals, but I wouldnt characterize my career as mainly musical comedy.
We were cast just as, like, the bimbos that should be cute and funny.
It really was like a community theater project.
Parker:It was brilliantly democratic.
Its an extraordinary thingPhyllidadid.
And frankly singing, it was important to me.
They didnt have to be astonishing, but a degree of competence was looked for in the auditions.
Its hard to be a dick on that kind of thing, says Parker.
I refuse to allow anybody to be in a bad mood.
But itsMamma Mia 2.
If youre not enjoying this, youve got to get out of show business.
Jessica Keenan Wynn, Young Tanya:We get tothis island, and its like adult summer camp.
There was something extremely magical about it.
Then the older cast came, and you could see that they have the exact same bonds.
Parker:You dont call them the older cast.
You call them the legacy cast.
Keenan Wynn:We call them the legend cast.
Baranski:Phyllida and Ol brought together wonderful performers in the legacy cast.
Everybodys so interesting and so experienced and yet so game to do it.
And we loved hanging out together.
So when you werent filming, we were happily dining together and probably drinking a little too much.
Craymer:It was like everyone had arrived for a big family wedding.
It was quite interesting for the original cast to meet their younger selves.
We were in full costume, and I think Amanda Seyfriedsaid, Jessica, Christines right there.
The sun was beaming on her.
She was just so warm, and she was like, Look at you.
Oh, youre me.
I think she came very close to being young Tanya; its spot-on.
There was a day on the set where it was almost like looking in the mirror.
She had on that wonderful purple dress that I had on.
But when she put on that wig, and particularly with that purple dress, it was crazy.
Josh Dylan, Young Bill:I met Stellan at the read-through, which was really fucking scary.
Thats the first time I had to do a Swedish accent in front of him.
But he was lovely, and we hung out a lot.
I was mostly trying to pick up on his essence.
I was like, Fuck, this is so cool.
He was just having snuff.
You know what snuff is?
Skarsgard:I didnt think he resembled me at all, but it didnt matter.
Its all a fairy tale anyway.
I mean, those things, its not even films.
Its just a party.
Davies:Julie Walters is my favorite person on the planet.
So I went and sat next to her and just told her how much I loved her.
I did my impression of her for ten solid minutes.
And it was too much.
The next day, I was really hungover, and Ol actually came to visit.
And I said, Was it bad?
I remember it being really bad.
And he just went, It was really bad, but Im sure it will be fine.
It was a lavish extravaganza in which she inevitably took over some disused fort on the island.
It was decadent and amazing, and everyone just was really uninhibited and joyful.
Davies:The first one was insane.
It was in this amazing old ruins of a castle at the very top of this mountain.
Andy Garcia, Fernando:No.
I dont know about those parties.
Skarsgard:My playmate on the first show was definitely Colin Firth.
I was out very much with Colin, and with Dominic Cooper, whos good to party with.
Curtis:We were pretty much the only people on the island.
So every night, there would be dining at two competing restaurants.
I ended up in Pierce Brosnans restaurant, and then the glamorous youngsters would be next door.
Then I would see Amanda paddleboarding across the front of the sea.
Like, Hey, Amanda.
Garcia:I mean, I went to dinner sometimes.
This is a rare anomaly of camaraderie and talent and joy.
That was a rare diamond that you might not experience again in your career.
Okay, When Does the Movie Actually End?
Thats up for discussion.
Parker:Hitchcock said there are only two parts to a movie: the ending and everything else.
The beginning and the end, and the beginning not so much.
Parker:I think our ending is at least 20 minutes long.
When you see her shoe come off that helicopter.
James:It starts when Cher gets off the helicopter.
Thats the best kind of party, little girl.
Grandma, you werent invited.
Baranski:I think its when the fireworks go off at the end of Fernando.
Thats pretty much the beginning of the end.
Or Fernando is the prelude to the beginning of the end.
Davies:For me, its when they sing Ive Been Waiting for You.
When you see that blend of the two timelines, with Amanda and Julie and Christine singing.
Thats when I start to weep.
Dylan:I would say the beginning of the end is actually the start of Dancing Queen.
Its a long-ass ending, but its epic.
Craymer:Its all the final songs.
Theyre scooping up all the relationships and bringing closure to them.
Parker:I think Dancing Queen is the beginning of the last act.
And then Super Trouper.
So I guess the real ending is the last two songs.
Curtis:I do love the last 15 minutes of the film.
Theres just a magical thing going on there, isnt there?
Because normally at the end of a movie, youre slightly running out of ingredients.
Whereas in this one, we had a whole pile to shove in at the end.
Shortly thereafter,Cher fliesin and stomps onto the island: Mes enfants, je suis arrivee!
Throughout the sequence, Sophie and Young Donna (James) simultaneously sing Ive Been Waiting For You.
Afterward, Cher offers some choice feedback to Sophie.
Parker:The sequel thing is tricky.
So youre trying to give them the same, but not too much the same.
So with Dancing Queen, I guess it was a bit arrogant.
Were going to do it withDunkirkand 4,000 extras on the dock.
Craymer:I thinkMamma Mia!has earned the right to repeat Dancing Queen.
The weather was beautiful, and the Mediterranean was turquoise.
Parker:Pierce is the best.
Pierce just loves to skip.
He has absolutely no ego or vanity whatsoever.
Whereas Colin and Stellan, its not quite so natural.
I think theyll agree.
Pierce sang loudly and long, despitethe crapthat he got for SOS the first time.
Nothing would put him off.
If you say, Pierce, heres a mic, hell be there.
Curtis:Stellan was hilarious.
And Stellan said, Hes wearing a different shirt.
So I thought that showed his depth of commitment to the characterization over the ten years.
Was he abused by his parents or what happened?
You just dont care.
I couldnt describe him as a character.
Parker:If you dont wholeheartedly commit, youll look much more of a twat.
Its the abandonment of irony that actually makes it completely endearing and gorgeous.
I was like, No, Ive watched 17,000 YouTube videos.
I know how to do this.
Then I got there, and Im like, I dont know how to do this.
So hes like, Okay, Im going to talk you through it.
He sat by me.
Hes going, Okay now, push, push.
Now youre really pushing now.
Now the babys head is crowning.
Its crowning, Lily.
I really got into character.
At one point, I felt my fictional baby kick.
Parker:Thats not Chers leg, when the helicopter lands and a foot comes down.
We needed to know what costume she was wearing so that we could shoot somebodys leg.
And of course, the costume took four years.
I think we had to go back to Croatia later.
Someone had to fly back to the jetty and just shoot the leg.
And Cher wanted to have a bit more of an apology to Amanda.
She was like, People are going to hate me.
I havent seen my grandchild for 25 years.
I need a big speech.
I was like, I think the complete opposite.
Its not MoNique fromPrecious.
I was like, Fuck me.
Richard Curtis then wrote, Great-grandmother.
Ill be leaving that out of the bio, which was a great line.
Amanda Seyfried, Sophie:I had forgotten that some of those lines just flew out of her.
If I forgot a line, Id freeze, but she makes it work.
Parker:Fernando is a complete left turn.
Previously, there was no Senor Cienfuegos, and we didnt have a song for Ruby.
I said, All right, hang on a second, lets get Fernando in there somewhere.
Theres an old guy, he works at a hotel, hes the manager.
Parker:Richard says, Well give him a name.
Cienfuegos.Ive got a joke about his name.
And hes just listening with no idea where Im going.
And then he just says, Ruby?
And she turns around and goes, Fernando?
And Richard just fell off his chair laughing.
So, I was like, Great.
Thats that, then.
Obviously, its a 102-minute setup to one joke.
Curtis:Somewhere in the deep and distant past, someone will know the truth.
Parker:Cher and Andy had wanted to work together, and he was very easy.
Garcia:I got the information through my agent that they were interested in me doing it.
I didnt get any personal call from the director or Richard or Cher or anybody.
They said, They want you to come in and play Fernando.
Its supposed to be a secret.
So you cant say anything.
I was on board right away.
I thanked her, I understand you picked me.
And she said, Of course, and then she goes, Modigliani.
Parker:We showed Cher Fernando and demonstrated it with the choreographer.
She was standing next to me.
Wed really only just met, and I was watching it, just trying not to watch her.
This will be good.
Filming it was the most fucking beautiful day.
What magic pills are you taking?
Garcia:Im not there to compare myself to Cher as a singer or anything.
Im there to play Fernando, and this is how Fernando sings, as an actor.
This is not a singing competition.
But yes, I sing and I dance and I have my own orchestra.
Parker:When it turned on Andy, he just slightly froze, which is really common.
Garcia:I wasnt nervous.
She already picked me.
It was a revolution going on and war, so it was all very romantic, you know?
Parker:They were just very sweet together.
Garcia:I love the part where Fernando sees her for the first time.
Its almost like he thinks its not even real.
But he screams out to her, Ruby!
And she goes, Fernando?
Against the grain, its so funny.
Is that … Fernando?
What the hell are you doing here?
And then it begins.
Its perfectly played by Cher, going against the grain like that.
Baranski:It may be the best part of the movie, honestly.
Its going to be sung by Cher.
Garcia:There was no rehearsal for the kiss.
You dont rehearse those things.
It happened the first time on-camera, thats what happened.
When you see it in the movie, it was probably the first take, that was it.
Parker:We used the entire first take.
When Cher speaks Spanish that took a while.
That didnt stick in the memory.
That took a little while.
Parker:I always loved My Love, My Life.
It was such a beautiful song.
But lyrically, it didnt work anywhere at all in the movie.
So Bjorn very generously rewrote the opening verses.
Curtis:The most difficult part was definitely trying to make Meryl work.
It is an odd thing.
Was she going to be ghostly?
Who was going to be able to see her?
Parker:Id written Amanda walking toward the door and Lily walking through the door.
We hadnt seen Lily for about 15 pages, so that was always going to be her ending.
But I think the studio was a bit panicked because I didnt know how LilybecomesMeryl.
They were like, Hows that going to happen?
I was like, I dont know.
I havent seen the set.
Curtis:I hate directing movies.
Im always sad and frightened.
Ol probably remembers it as the worst nightmare of his life.
All I know is it was up to the wire as to exactly who did what when that day.
Parker:We had Meryl for those three days only.
She came right at the end of the shoot and sang the song.
Then I remember looking at the fountain and thinking, We could dothattrick!
I called the special effects guys and was like, Is that going to be possible?
And he was like, Yeah, sure, no trouble.
Then I called the studio and Im like, I think Ive got it.
Its going to be okay.
James:Yeah, Meryl looked into the well of water, then that became me.
I dont remember how they figured that out.
I just remember holding this baby and Meryl Streep and this beautiful song.
Its so sad, isnt it?
Because shes the ghost.
Craymer:Lily didnt really meet Meryl until right near the end of the filming.
I think it was a big thing for Lily.
She was a bit nervous meeting Meryl.
James:I sat outside while she sang, just crying.
Then Gary Goetzman, the producer, was like, Come and meet Meryl.
I was like, Oh my God.
How are we going to do that?
At the beginning, Dom is not holding the baby.
I have no idea.
But thankfully nobody asks that question.
Because then we had him looking at Amanda and her walking toward an empty fountain.
Then you cut back to Amanda walking toward Meryl at the fountain.
I remember watching that when we were shooting it, going, Oh, this is going to work.
Cher and Andy are in the front row just sitting there all day watching.
Craymer:We had Cher and Pierce and Colin and Judy and everyone, and theyre all playingensemble!
Theres Meryl, and theres Pierce and Colin James Bond and Mr. Darcy.
But they were very moved.
I remember Cher crying.
Garcia:It was beautiful.
The way Meryl always timed her exit through the doors?
That was always very charming.
Meryl Streep, what can I say?
And thats when having someone like Meryl is extraordinary.
Dylan:I had some really nice chats with Meryl on set.
So it was a genuine reunion.
It was one of those moments where the thing you were filming was almost real.
Baranski:It was incredibly dear.
The two of them were so committed to it and so vulnerable.
I think Meryl brought the weight of all of her love for her own daughters into that song.
And Amandas a new mother, and so she brought all of her feelings about being a mother.
It was very real, yeah.
So much had changed, but the essence ofMamma Miawas exactly the same.
James:I remember holding a very beautiful but very heavy baby.
I had managed to get it to stop crying.
I think it was sleeping.
So I held that baby for my arm was broken by the end of it.
I held the baby all day.
I remember walking in at one point, and she opened her eyes as I was singing.
I think if you take a stab at fake joy, its ghastly.
If you fake tears, then youre horrible, its manipulative.
People want to cry.
And obviously its sad, but you cant end the movie there.
And Im thinking,Oh, fuck, can we pull it round that fast?
It was thrown together, says Baranski.
And I must say, it was brilliantly thrown together.
Baranski:We didnt know what the hell the ending was gonna be.
Keenan Wynn:Until maybe two weeks before, we didnt know if Universal had approved another big ending.
That was always the plan.
Theres something about it that works gloriously, but I dont quite know what that is.
Baranski:The ending of both those movies was, I would say, slapdash.
Parker:We talked a lot about what song it would be, and there were lots of disagreements.
Baranski:There was a whole passionate debate about, Oh no, they cant use that one.
And they used that before.
Parker:Just in my head, I couldnt get from My Love, My Life into Super Trouper.
The female voices at the beginning, thats just too weird.
And the original, its obviously a classic, but its stompy.
It doesnt really pick you up.
He was like, I dont think youwilldo that, and I was like, I think we will.
And the second one was going, I dont think Super Trouper is quite working for the final song.
Is there anything you might do?
If you listen to our version next to the ABBA version, its a serious amount faster.
Craymer:Of course, we wanted Cher to be in the very end.
So how do we do that?
Because everyone was like, Shes singing Fernando, youre never going to get her to sing another song.
And by the way, we hadnt persuaded Meryl yet.
She said, Okay, so what is this ending?
What do I have to do?
It meant she had to stay a few days longer filming and all kinds of things.
She said, What song is it?
He said, Its Super Trouper.
And she said, I hate Super Trouper.
He said, Well, let me show you how its going to be done.
Then he and his associate Nicola walk through the whole thing in the studio and up the stairs.
She goes, Okay, Ill do it.
And we hadnt really rehearsed anything.
We had maybe two days.
People had cars waiting to get them to the airport to go get to their next movies.
He just wanted to do something different, bless him.
He took pity on me.
We wanted it to look nice, and we wanted it to be a banger.
Craymer:It was a massive day.
We had them all on set.
Youve got all these nonprofessional singers and dancers just going for it.
Colin brought his parents.
First time his parents had been on a set.
Parker: By then, everyone was really good friends, and wed all had this brilliant fun.
The challenge is to instigate a party but see to it that people are invited to the party.
We were like, Five, six, seven, eight …
Dylan:Whos the best dancer?
I want to say Christine Baranski.
Without question, Jeremy Irvine is the worst dancer.
James:I think I only had ten minutes with Meryl figuring out the dance.
Davies: Neither Julie or I are dancers at all.
And were like, Thats perfect.
Do you want a cup of tea?
I want a cup of tea.
Dylan:When Pierce Brosnan tosses his microphone and catches it the wrong way, thats fantastic.
Parker:The only tricky one was Colin, whos not a natural mover.
He was just totally freaked out not to be choreographed, not to be told what to do.
Hugh, obviously, with all respect for Colin, was just doing what Colin wanted.
Their bit was just to stand there and do nothing and to look really shy and awkward.
Almost like it was something existentialist, kind of Beckett,Silent Fear.
Parker:I remember them presenting it and me going, Well, that doesnt work.
Colins like, Im not doing it.
Nicely, obviously, because hes a sweetie.
So, I was like, Okay.
Skinner:Imin a pair of pale-blue skintight dungarees and billowing sleeves and platform shoes.
I just went, Oh, God.
I genuinely felt awkward.
Dylan:Hughs dancing around Colin, sort of desperate and beautiful.
It was so funny.
Keenan Wynn:Stellan and Josh took the longest because Stellan couldnt remember anything.
Dylan:Me and Stellan were like two naughty schoolboys.
We obviously didnt know what the fuck to do, so we just pissed around.
He came up with a really simple dance routine, and then he forgot it several times.
We put him in playing the guitar, with the three guys.
Stellan, I think we digitized his mouth, because he went, Oom-pah-pah, at the wrong time.
How hard is it to do that?
Its a disaster, every shot.
But we just get away with it.
Part of the fun is watching these guys make absolute twats of themselves with complete abandon.
Watch it again, and youll see how much they all suck.
Skarsgard:The digitized mouth probably looks better.
It was a happy day for all of us.
Pierce and Colin kept hiding behind their robes.
They didnt want anyone to capture I mean, Pierce was like, I have been James Bond.
Skarsgard:Inone of theAvengersfilms, I was running around naked at Stonehenge.
So Ive done a lot of funny costumes and non-costumes.
I remember walking together with Pierce and Colin in those spandex suits.
Pierce had just finished doing Bond, and he said, I hope I dont run into Daniel Craig.
Dylan:There were definitely things shoved down those pants, by the way.
But I think I found myself when I slipped on those flares.
Craymer:And that was Chers own costume I think she put some of her own stuff together.
I think those were her pants, and we stuck some stars and flowers on them.
Parker:Cher had a slight hip issue, but shes going up some steps in the scene.
I asked Andy if he could be there and help.
It seemed to suit his dignified character.
I said, Why dont you help her up?
Just lift her up the steps and give her a kiss.
Then, the first rehearsal, we do that and he goes, Where do you want me now?
And I go, Well see you again at the bar with the guitar.
And he was like, Id like to stay and dance, and I was like, Okay.
So I said, Ol, you mind if I join in?
Because Im just not going to stand here and ensure Cher doesnt fall off the stage.
What am I doing here?
And I said, What elevator?
And I wouldnt say Im really afraid of heights, but lets say Im notfondof them.
I also was like, Shouldnt somebody have told me about this?
I threw down to the boys, threw up to Meryl.
Then we have the men, who all come out of the bar terribly.
So then we were just like, Okay, what do we do?
How do we get into the very last lines of the song?
That was the slightly wobbly bit.
And then it was just: Lets have Meryl and Pierce.
Because everyone secretly thinks hes the dad.
This would be lovely.
Also because Pierce hadnt really sung for the whole movie.
He whispers, I suppose.
So lets give Pierce a proper line.
I wanted him to really bellow his line, like a busker, the way that he does.
But actually, he does it rather dignified.
I think he quite enjoyed doing SOS.
He does it rather gently, and its great.
Baranski:Do certain people sing perfectly?
Are we great dancers?
Do we look the best anybody could look in costumes like that?
Eh, you know the spandex factor.
But, oh my God.
Davies:Its so lovely because were all shit.
All of it felt very egoless.
Its them all dancing toward Cher through the fog.
Then she comes out and sings, and then it cuts to them and theyre all marching.
And I just went, Fuck me, because I just thought it was the most incredible thing.
Dylan:Not a word of exaggeration it was spellbinding.
James:It was like being at a private Cher gig.
I brought my mum to come down for the day.
We were all watching on the monitors.
Its just the first verse.
And she was like, Ill have the chorus too.
I had to be like, No, no.
I dont really do pride in my career, or life, even, but I do relief.
And I remember that moment at the screening, thinking, Thats a relief.
Davies:There was a moment at the world premiere in London when Super Trooper starts.
And I turned to Jess and she started crying.
Parker:British critics were incredibly nice about the sequel, and American critics pissed all over it.
I remember crowd-pleasing was used as an insult, heartwarming an insult.
And its like, You fucking try it.
Its not that easy to c’mon a crowd, to warm a heart.
We overcame grudging resistance.
Oh, all right then.
Fuck it, by the end, you got me.
Mamma Mia 3?
Craymer:I dont think it would be as difficult to get everyone back together.
I know I said that there probably will be one.
But its become such an important brand, and you just gotta get it right.
Theres ideas and theres thoughts, and ABBA has written more songs.
I just have to get a move when Im ready.
I think shes always wanted a trilogy, but Im in the same group as everyone else.
Im like, What story line are we going to go with?
Garcia:Would I do a third?
Yes, of course.
Fernando can organize a huge concert for Ruby on the island.
Skarsgard:I will be there in an urn.
And its sort of a massive TikTok experience, you know?
Now you could quote me, and let me just say, nobody else has had this idea.
James: I really want there to be another one.
Theres got to be another one with Sophies child.
Id petition them to let me be in it.
Does everyone say that?
Seyfried:I hold out hope that there will be a third.
I dont even care what the story is.
I just want the opportunity again.
It changed my life.
Parker:Im done.
I mean, they talk about it because luckily it went good, fortunately.
But yeah, I mean, no, not with me.
Its very nice and everything, but Im done.
James:Wed force Ol to do it.
Interviews were edited and condensed for clarity.
