Mamma Mia 2 cast: Jessica Keenan Wynn on playing young Christine Baranski – 'It was a joy'

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, the sequel to the beloved 2008 movie musical, will hit the cinemas tomorrow with an all-singing all-dancing ABBA-fest.

As audience members get to reunite with the old fan favourites, from Rosie (played by Julie Walters) to Donna (played by Meryl Streep), Express.co.uk spoke exclusively to one of the newer stars to hit the big screen.

This is not Jessica Keenan Wynn’s first time in London, though it was a whirlwind to get here.

She took her final bow in Beautiful, the Carole King musical on Broadway last Sunday, July 1, before heading to London to promote Mamma Mia 2.

Wynn stars as a young Tanya Chesham-Leigh, with the original Tanya portrayed by the inimitable Christine Baranski.

Perhaps similarly to filling a biopic role, Wynn’s job was to inhabit a character Baranski had already crafted – but the undertaking wasn’t a laborious one for the young American actress.

“I was lucky enough to have already been a massive fan of Christine, so when it came time to do the research it was just a joy,” she told Express.co.uk.

“I had been inspired by Christine for her entire career and if anything she has influenced me as an actress tenfold, so all I had to do was tap into bits and pieces of her that I had already tried on from watching her films.

“The work that had to be done was pure joy.”

And it was work she didn’t have to go at alone.

Mamma Mia is a true ensemble piece, and though the headlines go to Amanda Seyfried, Lily James, and of course Meryl Streep, Wynn’s relationship with the other ‘young’ cast members was integral to the process.

She said: “Alexa Davies (young Rosie), Lily James (young Donna) and I had five weeks of rehearsal that was instrumental in us finding our bond.”

Lily James, who has shot to fame in recent years with her roles in Downton Abbey, War and Peace, Cinderella, and many more, had more notoriety under her belt than Wynn when the Mamma Mia 2 process began.

But even so, “Lily embraced Alex and me with so much charm and humility,” Wynn said.

“We never felt like we were on set with anyone other than one of our best friends.

“It was so easy for all of us to fall in love with each other. We all have a WhatsApp group together and check in every week, it’s a family.”

Wynn also got to spend time with the “legacy cast” when they were finished shooting, often meeting up after filming at the same restaurant for dinner.

“It was a really nice way for us to get to know each other without any sort of pressure. It was very friendly and surreal,” she said.

“There was not one ego in the room, and it was one of the most rewarding and lovely experiences.”

As reviews trickle in for the Abba-themed sequel, Wynn thinks there is a good reason the critical response is so high this time around.

“Mamma Mia 2 has these themes of female empowerment, love, loss and grief — what a time to have that message burst out of the theatres.”

“I feel like this movie is everything we need right now in terms of love and female strength – and escapism.”

“This movie can be whatever you want it to be.

“If your mother has passed on, or you have girlfriends who you love, or you have men or women in your life that you consider paternal and maternal love for, I think this movie is going to resonate with that.”

But for all the (perhaps surprising) emotional depth to a movie based around 70s pop songs, Wynn’s experience of filming was one of pure joy.

“I wish I could lie and say there was a challenge in this film but the only challenge was dancing in those platform boots.”

The physical challenges of the role were met with excitement. “I loved our final look – those little white silk dresses.

“It’s actually based on an outfit Abba wore, and I have to say the platform boots that came along with that were made for our feet so our ankles were so secure. I could have danced in those boots for ages.”

Generations of fans will undoubtedly continue to dance along to Abba, and Mamma Mia 2 has been instrumental in preserving those songs for years to come.

You can see Jessica Keenan Wynn and the rest of the Mamma Mia 2 cast in Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again in UK cinemas on Friday, July 20, 2018.