Characters / Mamma Mia!

Characters of the musical Mamma Mia and its film sequel, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.

Sophie Sheridan

Played by: Lisa Stokke (Original West End), Tina Maddigan (Original Broadway), Amanda Seyfried (film), Dove Cameron (Hollywood Bowl)

"I wanted to get married knowing who I am."

Donna's daughter, who is about to get married. In an attempt to find out who her father is, she sends wedding invitations to the three likely candidates, kickstarting the plot.

• Disappeared Dad: She grew up without a father, and wants to find her biological dad. She never does learn which is the one, but in the end she's happy to have all three as her "dads" and vice-versa, and one of them, Sam, becomes her stepfather.
• Easily Forgiven: Nobody seems to mind that Sophie abruptly cancels the wedding, especially her fiancé. It helps that she doesn’t break up with him, just that she isn’t ready to settle down on the island with marriage just yet, and a wedding still takes place with Donna and Sam deciding to get married instead.
• Gene Hunting: Sophie is trying to find her biological father, hence the wedding invitations to her mother's three flings.
• Generation Xerox: Like her mother, she gets pregnant at a young age on the same Greek island. The sequel explores the similarities and differences in their life stories.
• Heroic Bastard: She was born from her unwed mother having sex with one of three men who fathered Sophie.
• Nice Girl: While impulsive and a bit naive in the first film, Sophie is genuinely well-meaning and kind.

Donna Sheridan

Played by: Siobhán McCarthy (Original West End), Louise Pitre (Original Broadway), Meryl Streep (film), Jennifer Nettles (Hollywood Bowl), Lily James (young, film)

"I've done a damn good job Soph, all by myself, and now I'm going to be muscled out by an ejaculation!"

Sophie's single mother, who owns the Greek island hotel where the story takes place. Also the lead singer of the girl group Donna and the Dynamos.

• Ethical Slut: She has no problem sleeping with a relative stranger, or even suggesting she and Sam move to Greece together after they've been dating for only a week. But when she finds out Sam was engaged and lied to her about it, she was pissed.
• Everyone Has Standards: Flirting with several people, casually dating and sleeping with three different men within a couple weeks of each other, moving to a foreign country with a guy she just met on a lark? Totally fine, since it's all in good fun and Donna never lies to any of her partners or two-times them. Sleeping with another woman's fiancé? Absolutely not, and she ends it as soon as she finds out.
• Good Bad Girl: As a young woman, Donna was rebellious and free-spirited, as well as pretty promiscuous. However, even back then, she was very kind and cheerful, and adores Sophie completely.
• Good Parents: Sophie makes it clear that Donna was a wonderful mother, and both have some anxiety about how their relationship will inevitably change once Sophie gets married and has her own life. Despite these fears, Donna is supportive of her relationship and just wants her daughter to be happy. She's even understanding when Sophie confesses to having tried to track down her dad.
• Iconic Outfit: Her blue overalls.
• Last Het Romance: For Harry, who ends the first film with a boyfriend; she was apparently the last girl he ever loved.
• Nice Girl: Donna is a kind, friendly woman to everyone she meets.
• The One That Got Away: To all of Sophie's potential fathers, to some extent — as Sophie points out, they wouldn't have answered a random invitation to go to her wedding after 20 years of radio silence if they still didn't think fondly of her. She's especially this for Sam, who left her to end his engagement and come back to her, and loved her the entire time they were apart.
• Parents as People: While she does love Sophie, they have trouble letting go of each other. Donna's love life is focused on extensively as well.
• Precision F-Strike: When Harry gives Donna a check of Undisclosed Funds to cover Sophie's wedding, Donna exclaims, "Holy shit!" in the stage version, the only scripted profanity in the production. In the film, it is downplayed to a Big "WHAT?!" reaction.
• Really Gets Around: Despite claiming not to be the kind of person who sleeps with someone right away, she actually went and did exactly that multiple times, resulting in Sophie's paternity disputes.
• Single Woman Seeks Good Man: All three of her known partners are kind, supportive men - Bill has a wild streak, but he's just as respectful and friendly as Harry and Sam. Notably, when Donna finds out Sam is engaged, she dumps him on the spot, and seems angry not just that he lied to her, but also that he lied to his actual girlfriend. Two decades later, he has to grovel a bit and prove he's truly sorry and realizes what he did was wrong before she makes up with him.
• Struggling Single Mother: She raised Sophie mostly by herself in a foreign country, without familial support, while also trying to get her hotel set up. Sophie understands in the sequel that it couldn't have been easy for Donna, but she knew she could do it.

Sam Carmichael

Played by: Hilton McRae (Original West End), David W. Keeley (Original Broadway), Pierce Brosnan (film), Jaime Camil (Hollywood Bowl), Jeremy Irvine (young, film)

"Sophie, I don't mean to spoil your lovely surprise, but the last time I saw your mother, she said she never wanted to see me again."

One of Sophie's potential fathers, Sam is an architect whose relationship with Donna ended when she found out he was engaged.

• Happily Married: Not to the first woman he married, but eventually becomes this with Donna until her death.
• Last Guy Wins: The last guy Donna meets, and the one she gets together with in the end.

Bill Austin/Anderson

Played by: Nicolas Colicos (Original West End), Ken Marks (Original Broadway), Stellan Skarsgård (film), Steven Weber (Hollywood Bowl), Josh Dylan (young, film)

"Marriage... Children... Responsibility. I'm a writer. I made up my mind a long time ago: I walk a lone path."

The second of Sophie's potential fathers, Bill is a travel personality who specifically does a lot of sailing.

• Adaptation Name Change: From Bill Austin in the stage musical to Bill Anderson in the film; as a nod to his actor being Swedish.
• Adaptational Nationality: Australian in the stage musical, Swedish in the films. In the US licensed version of the show, he is said to be from the United States with Greek ancestry; in the international licensed version, he is said to be a Londoner with Greek ancestry, with a footnote saying that his home city can be changed to fit the actor playing him.
• I Was Quite a Looker: The ferry worker mentions in the sequel that Bill hasn't aged well.
  Ferry Worker: Your face... it collapsed!
• The One That Got Away: Rosie had feelings for him when they were younger and hasn't gotten over him in the present.
• Really Gets Around: According to his great-aunt, Bill's got a lot of notches in his bedpost, and Rosie's dialogue in the sequel implies that his infidelity is the reason they broke up.
• Sexy Scandinavian: The sequel applies this trope to the Swedish Bill. When they were younger, Rosie had feelings for him, and specifically calls him the "hot Scandi guy".

Harry Bright

Played by: Paul Clarkson (Original West End), Dean Nolen (Original Broadway), Colin Firth (film), Hamish Linklater (Hollywood Bowl), Hugh Skinner (young, film)

"I bought this [guitar] for her. Ten quid and my Johnny Rotten T-shirt. So now who says I'm an unadventurous old stick-in-the mud?"

The third of Sophie's potential fathers, Harry is a former musician turned businessman.

• But Not Too Gay: Harry and his boyfriend get maybe half a minute of screentime, on a generous count, and they don't kiss or anything, but tango off.
• Butt-Monkey: Harry takes a lot of abuse, both in the past and in the present.
• Former Teen Rebel: He was once a rock musician who called himself "Head Banger" before becoming a straight-laced businessman.
• No Bisexuals: Harry is oftentimes referred to as "gay" among fans and the filmmakers, despite saying that Donna was the only woman he ever loved, which implies that he may be bi with a preference for men. To what extent Harry likes women is pretty unclear.
• Running Gag: Referring to himself as "spontaneous" when he is very clearly not.

Sky

Played by: Andrew Langtree (Original West End), Joe Machota (Original Broadway), Dominic Cooper (film), Corbin Bleu (Hollywood Bowl)

"It's my last night of freedom... which is how some people might see it, but for me, it's the last night before the greatest adventure of my life."

Sophie's fiancé.

• Family Versus Career: He spends the first part of the sequel away in New York for a lucrative job thing, and wonders if he and Sophie should relocate there. Sophie protests because of the work she's already put into the hotel.
• Mr Fan Service: Plenty is given by Sky, who spends the majority of the film in either half unbuttoned shirts, or just no shirt at all. He also sings Lay All Your Love On Me shirtless before being lifted and thrown into the sea by dozens of other young, fit men all of whom are wearing nothing but tight swim shorts and snorkles.
• What the Hell, Hero?: When he learns Sophie invited three men who could be her dad, just to walk her down the aisle, he is not happy about it. Unlike most people though, he goes the Understanding Boyfriend route and still goes through with her "sodding circus" to make her happy. He just wishes she had told him sooner, not hours before the wedding.

Tanya Chesham-Leigh and Rosie Mulligan

Tanya played by: Louise Plowright (Original West End), Karen Mason (Original Broadway), Christine Baranski (film), Tisha Campbell (Hollywood Bowl), Jessica Keenan Wynn (young, film)

Rosie played by: Jenny Galloway (Original West End), Judy Kaye (Original Broadway), Julie Walters (film), Lea DeLaria (Hollywood Bowl), Alexa Davies (young, film)

Tanya: You probably don't even remember me.
Rosie: Not with all that plastic surgery.

Donna's two best friends and the other members of Donna and the Dynamos.

• Hairstyle Inertia: In the sequel, they retain the same hairstyles from their youth — Tanya has always had the straight brown bob with bangs, while Rosie has always had the pixie cut.
• Honorary Aunt: To Sophie, who refers to them as "Aunt Tanya" and "Aunt Rosie". As the daughter of their best friend, they're very involved and show up to all of Sophie's major life events.
• Love at First Sight: According to the movie sequel, Rosie fell hard for Bill within a couple minutes of meeting him and talked about how she'd love to have his babies and grow old with him, all before he even knew her name. Decades later, they enter an on-off relationship.
• Plastic Bitch: Tanya is a heroic example; she's a good, supportive friend to Donna and an Honorary Aunt to Sophie. However, she's still a vain and rich Serial Spouse, which fits with Rosie's lines about her having a bunch of cosmetic surgery done.
• Serial Spouse: Tanya is very blasé about having had at least three marriages.
• Those Two Guys: Although they have their own subplots, their main role in the original and sequel is to be Donna's funny longtime friends.

Ali and Lisa

Played by: Eliza Lumley and Melissa Gibson (original West End production), Sara Inbar and Tanya Doran (original Broadway production), Charlotte Mary Wen and Tiana Okoye (Hollywood Bowl), Ashley Lilley and Rachel McDowall (film)

Sophie's best friends and bridesmaids.

---

• Adaptational Skimpiness: In the film, they're visibly wearing bikinis under their clothes.
• Audience Surrogate: The audience finds out about the mechanics and motivations of Sophie's plan at the same time as Ali and Lisa.
• Childhood Friends: The two of them have been vacationing on the island for years and have known Sophie since they were all little. They greet each other with a child-like chant as adults, and Sophie makes them her bridesmaids.
• Genki Girl: They are enthused about the wedding preparations and are pretty excited and giggling during the "Honey, Honey" musical number.
• Not So Above It All: Lisa is initially a bit hesitant about reading Donna's diary to find out about Sophie's father. However, she gets more excited about the drama as the scene progresses.
• Parental Sexuality Squick: They are a bit uncomfortable about some of the sexual references in their best friend's mother's diary, although Ali also cracks some jokes about it.
• Secret-Keeper: They are the only people who know that Sophie invited Sam, Bill, and Harry to find out which of them is her father.
• Sequel Non-Entity: Neither of them appears in the sequel.
• Those Two Girls: They share most of their screen time and plot relevance.

---