In the new ensemble comedy ‘What to Expect When You’re Expecting’, the character of Wendy, played by Elizabeth Banks, is one of two struggling with fertility issues. “Wendy and Gary are on this crazy schedule, with timed ovulation and closely watched body temperature – everything is so scheduled,” says Banks. “They’ve been so focused on this goal of creating a baby that they’ve forgotten the goal of having a happy marriage.”

When she successfully conceives, Wendy expects to be a shining example of motherhood. After all, she’s an acknowledged lactation expert who owns a store called The Breast Choice, which helps women master nursing. But for all her expertise and self-righteousness about the pregnancy process, Wendy is completely undone when she finally experiences it herself.

Says Banks, “I think for a lot of women, just like it is for Wendy, pregnancy is really uncomfortable, and that’s one of the things that [author of the book ‘What to Expect’ is based on] Heidi Murkoff does really well in her book – she really lays that out for you. It’s different for everyone and, for Wendy, it’s very different in that it’s the worst of everything.”

Explains Director Kirk Jones, “All the not-so-wonderful things about pregnancy that are possible, like flatulence, acne, constipation, swollen ankles, fatigue and anxiety, happen to Wendy. Elizabeth Banks is just a genius comedian, and she played everything so beautifully.”

Wendy’s husband, Gary, played by Ben Falcone, has a front row seat to every one of Wendy’s physical and emotional crises. Formerly overweight, Gary has worked hard to get in shape, gain a measure of self-esteem and defend himself against the relentless competitive impulses of his former NASCAR driver father, Ramsey. But when Wendy gets pregnant, Gary falls off the wagon. Says Falcone, “Gary just finds that the pregnancy brings up old issues in his life and with his dad. He’s kind of an emotional eater so he puts on a lot of sympathy weight with Wendy.”

Wendy and Gary are also tormented by the gloating of Ramsey and his much younger wife, Skyler, who is pregnant with twins and coasting through a trouble-free pregnancy. “Some women just sail through their pregnancy, and in this film it’s Skyler,” explains Jones. “She has no problems whatsoever. She looks and feels amazing. She has the glow and everything.”

Cast as Gary’s superstar dad, Ramsey, is veteran actor Dennis Quaid, who is paired with Brooklyn Decker as Skyler, Gary’s shockingly young “stepmom.” “Dennis has got a fantastic presence,” avows Jones. “He’s been around for a while. He’s seen and done a lot, and his innate confidence that comes from real-life experience was perfect for Ramsey.”

Quaid also brought with him his experience of fathering his nearly twenty-year-old son. “I remember with my first, just before he was born, guys were telling me about how it’s a club, and I didn’t understand what it was like to be in that club until he opened his eyes in the room,” says the actor. “Once they’re born, you suddenly get what it’s like to be in the club, and basically, that your life as you knew it is over, that’s it’s no longer just about you. Now it’s all about putting someone else first. And that’s a great experience.”

After recently starring in Peter Berg’s Battleship, model-turned-actress Brooklyn Decker relished the opportunity to play a character with broad comedic potential. “I was really excited about Skyler because she’s so over-the-top,” says Decker. “I grew up in North Carolina which is NASCAR country, and Skyler is a NASCAR wife. When I read the script I thought, I know this girl. I grew up with this girl.”

Decker is aware that pregnancies like Skyler’s are few and far between. In a spirit of solidarity, she admits, “I remember at one of the fittings for the prosthetic belly, I looked at myself in the mirror, with not a pound gained, with a fake belly that had been bronzed and toned and tanned, perfectly sculpted to my body, and I just knew that I was setting such an unrealistic standard not only for myself, but for every woman out there. I have to apologize in advance to all the moms-to-be!”

Image Courtesy of   What To Expect When You’re Expecting

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About the author

Gabriela R. Berrios
A woman with a flair for pop culture references, Gabriela's journalistic specialties are wide and far-reaching: she has found love in the Action/Sci-Fi realm of all things Entertainment, retains a bizarre interest in the macabre side of humanity, is an advocate for human rights, and holds an unmatched appreciation for fine food and travel. Reporting from St. Petersburg, Florida.

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