Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, the 2018 sequel to the hit film musical Mamma Mia!, saw Cher take on the role of Donna’s mother, Ruby Sheridan. The character only had around 10 minutes of screen time, appearing in the last act of the film. Despite her limited role, the whole movie was building up to Cher’s appearance and performances of Mamma Mia 2 songs, “Fernando” and “Super Trouper”. However, after watching the first film, it’s evident that Ruby shouldn’t have featured in the sequel at all.

Ruby appeared in the Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again finale, wanting to be part of Sophie’s life. Despite not being part of the family since Donna became pregnant with Sophie, Ruby made up for her past mistakes while also rekinding a past relationship with Fernando (Andy Garcia), overcoming past regrets. She played quite a big part in the final act of the movie, turning Sophie’s life upside down and ᴀssuming a maternal role in Sophie’s life since Donna’s untimely Mamma Mia 2 death. However, Ruby shouldn’t have been introduced as the first movie suggests she was ᴅᴇᴀᴅ.

Cher’s Ruby Sheridan Contradicts Everything The Original Mamma Mia! Said About Her

The Character’s Appearance Set Up Multiple Plot Holes Between The Sequel And The Original

One poignant scene in the first Mamma Mia! movie seems to imply that Ruby is ᴅᴇᴀᴅ long before the sequel takes place. After Donna finds her three past relationships staying in the old barn house, she cries to Tanya and Rosie. Donna is worried about Sophie finding out and claims that “someone up there” had it in for her… probably her mother. This seemingly throw-away line implies that Ruby was ᴅᴇᴀᴅ in the first movie. Although there was no clear confirmation of the character’s fate, it very strongly suggested that the character was not alive, contradicting the events of the second movie.

In Mamma Mia!, Tanya revealed more about Ruby’s character, sarcastically calling her “a ray of sunshine”. This suggests that Ruby and Tanya never really got along and that she had a somewhat antagonistic relationship with supporting characters in Donna’s life. However, in the second film, this was not addressed. The characters didn’t really interact or make any comments towards one another, referencing this hostility. This feels like a missed opportunity, as Cher acting alongside Christine Baranski could have made for some peak movie comedy. Beyond this, however, it acts as another way that Ruby’s appearance contradicts the first movie.

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again Would’ve Been Better Off Not Introducing Ruby

Ruby’s Appearance Takes Away From The Message Of The Film

Although Cher’s appearance in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again was extremely iconic, it probably would have been better for the franchise not to have introduced Ruby into the story. It caused multiple plot holes between the first and the second installments and made some character arcs seem inconsistent. Her appearance also took away from the message of the film series as a whole.

Mamma Mia! taught that family is the people you choose to be around, not just genetics. However, including Ruby in the story shows Sophie allowing Ruby to get away with the mistreatment of Donna. Sophie had held a grudge against Ruby for years. However, her decision to accept her into her life shows that no matter how much pain she has caused, family blood is still important. This is not what the first film was about, making Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again feel slightly at odds with the original.

What The Director Said About Casting Cher

The Singer/Actor Was The Director’s First Choice

While Cher’s role in Mamma Mia 2 didn’t make a lot of sense for the continuity of the franchise, there was obviously a lot of excitement about her joining the sequel. With Meryl Streep not playing a large part in Mamma Mia 2, it made sense that the sequel sought a big name to fill the void. As it turns out, Cher was not only the first choice for the role — she was the only choice. Director Ol Parker discussed his determination to cast her and his willingness to wait (via Variety):

There’s a sports saying, if you aren’t playing offense, you’re playing defense, so if you are coming back for a sequel not be better but you have to aim higher and bring something else back in to the mix. So I wrote that part specifically for Cher in the script and when I handed it in I told them, by the way that role is Cher. I refused to contemplate anyone else being on the list. So we are waiting for a while, on Cher time — because Cher owns time.

Despite the fact that there was a lot of uncertainty about whether they could convince the music icon to star in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, the eventual casting was a fairly easy process once Cher herself was directly offered the role. Parker also praised her time on the set with nothing but kind words to share about working with her:

In the end, Ron Meyer just called her up and said “You’re doing ‘Mamma Mia 2” and she was like “OK.” It was a great day when she said yes but it was an even better day when the plane arrived in London. She’s also an absolute sweetheart, she’s warm and funny and was very lovely on the set.