Rita Wilson

Rita Wilson saw Nia Vardalos's one-woman show in Los Angeles and persuaded her husband Tom Hanks's company, Playtone, to produce it as a film. My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002), made for a few million dollars with a cast of little-known actors, built slowly through word of mouth and became one of the most profitable independent films ever. It is the clearest case of a celebrity spotting talent and then giving it time.