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At the start of Mamma Mia 2, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, an oxford professor stands on stage at the college’s commencement ceremony. Donna Sheridan walks in, arriving late but still in time to make her Valedictorian speech. Rather than bore her classmates with a conventional graduation speech, she tore off her graduation robe to reveal an ABBA inspired ensemble complete with gold platform boots and a yellow boa. Along with her two best friends, she executes a brilliant rendition of “I Kissed The Teacher.” This is how we’re introduced to the spontaneous, young Donna in Mamma Mia 2.
“The best things in life, the very best things happen unexpectedly.”
(( Young Donna, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again ))
Post-Graduation, Donna embarks on a summer vacation that takes her from Paris to Greece and engulfs her in a series of love affairs with three men. Her audacious character finds thrill in exploration. Although it isn’t what her friends aspire to do after college, she marches to the beat of her own drum and isn’t afraid to pave her own route. Donna knows great adventures are awaiting her, and although she doesn’t initially know what these affairs are, she’s fearless, passionate, and optimistic enough to go after them with certainty that everything will inevitably work out in her favor.
Who Is Donna Sheridan from Mamma Mia 2?
We first meet Donna in the original Mamma Mia as Sophie’s hard-working mother who runs a not-so-successful hotel and isn’t sure which of the three possible men is Sophie’s real father. In Mamma Mia 2, we’re acquainted with the optimistic and self-assured young Donna in the summer of 1979, as we learn her story through her own perspective. Donna is a confident, free-spirited, individual with a constructive view of the world which helps her to navigate through summer allowing even the hardships she faces to make her stronger and more driven to build a life she is passionate about in a place she loves.
Donna Loves Herself
From the start of Mamma Mia 2, we see how confident and self-assured Donna is. She’s not afraid or embarrassed to turn her university graduation into a grandiose performance by her musical trio, Donna And The Dynamos – a girl group she formed with her two best friends, Tanya and Rosie. She knows she is fun, she knows she is talented, and she knows what she has to offer the world, which is why she’s so determined to explore it.
She tells her friends that she’s not going home after graduation. As a gift to herself, she’s going to travel the world.
Her self-love and confidence are magnetic. Along her travels she attracts Harry, Sam, and Bill–Sophie’s three potential fathers–and engages in affairs with all three of them.
On their first date, the same day they meet, Harry confesses his love to her. Donna’s initially confused and slightly concerned, but is soon flattered and amused by Harry’s confession and astonishing rendition of Waterloo inside the French restaurant they’re dining in. She doesn’t reject his confession because although she might find it odd, she doesn’t find it utterly unbelievable that someone could instantaneously love her. She understands she is lovable because the beauty that everyone else sees in her, she can see in herself as well.
“You have one of those smiles that makes the rest of the world smile too.”
(( Bill Anderson, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again ))
She also isn’t afraid to continue on in her adventures even if it means breaking Harry’s heart. She knows there is more to her than one short love affair with a man she barely knows. So, even though it hurts Harry, she puts herself first and resumes her travels. Donna wants to live up to her full potential and live a fulfilling life because she believes she deserves it. She values herself too much to ever hold herself back.
Donna Is Passionate
Along with her other admirable traits, Donna has a passionate heart. Not only for traveling, performing, or falling in love with strangers, but for all aspects of life.
“There’s an island, Kalokairi. People used to think if you sailed on from there you’d fall off the edge of the world. That sounds like the place for me.”
(( Donna Sheridan, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again ))
When she arrives on the Greek island, Kalokairi, she falls in love with it. She hangs out at a local bar and watches the owner perform with his band and is soon inspired to perform herself and with Donna and The Dynamos.
When she first arrives on the island, she discovers a rundown, abandoned farmhouse and decides to reside in it. The paint is peeling, the railings to the staircase are falling apart, and the windows are shattered, but Donna has a vision for what the place could become and she has the drive to bring her vision to fruition. She is passionate about turning the farmhouse into something special.
She doesn’t know it yet, but her passion leads to her converting the farmhouse into Villa Donna, the hotel she runs in the first film, and that her daughter takes over after Donna passes away. Donna flashes back and forth between past and present, comparing the scene of Donna first seeing the farmhouse to Sofie honoring her mother by completing her vision.
“I’d love to stay. I’d love nothing more and I can do amazing things with it. You know maybe one day it can be a hotel.”
(( Donna Sheridan, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again ))
Donna was not given a sign or any authentication that the farmhouse could be converted into something special, she simply saw something in it that other people couldn’t see and she let her passion fuel her to follow her intuition.
Donna Is Fearless
Donna is not one to hold herself back from adventure. She doesn’t experience the general fears people connect to being on their own or exploring a place they haven’t been before. And even when she does have a slight hesitation, she doesn’t let it restrain her. Donna runs towards her fears.
“I can do this. If I can just be as brave as my mom was back then.”
(( Sophie Sheridan, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again ))
She whole-heartedly thrusts herself into post-graduation travel, ready to take on whatever comes her way. She moved from Paris to Kalokairi and soon resides there, leaving her family, her friends, and the life she’s always known behind.
She gets on a boat with a man she’s just met in order to get to the Greek Island, she falls in love with a man she’s only known for a week, and she’s brave enough to tell that man exactly how she feels about him even if she knows it sounds crazy. Although other people in her life have everything lined up, Donna has no fear in admitting that she doesn’t have a clue what her future looks like.
“I have absolutely nothing mapped out, no clue what the future holds.”
(( Donna Sheridan, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again ))
Towards the end of Mamma Mia 2, Donna finds out she is pregnant but she is unsure which of the three men she’s had recent affairs with is the father. She doesn’t panic. At this point, she knows she wants to stay on Kalokairi island.
Donna is sitting at the bar with her friends when she expresses she wants to stay on the island. The owner of the bar’s mother tells Donna she’s the one who owns the farmhouse. She allows Donna to live there for free if Donna promises to fix it up. Donna agrees. She makes the choice to live alone at the farmhouse. She doesn’t contact any of the possible fathers because she knows she’s strong enough and brave enough to raise her child on her own.
Donna Knows Her Worth
Donna knows she is worthy of greatness. She’s worthy of adventure, she’s worthy of fun, she’s worthy of love, and she’s worthy of great friendships. So when something comes into her life that doesn’t align with her self worth, she kicks it out no matter how much it might hurt her to do so.
Bill first appeared in Mamma Mia 2 when he offered to take Donna to Kalokairi because she missed the ferry. He’s instantly drawn to Donna but she laughs off all of his flirtatious comments. She will not allow herself to be taken advantage of by, what she refers to as, a “seducer.” However, Donna’s true self-worth comes through when she meets Sam. Her encounter with Sam is unlike any of her other summer affairs. While her time with Harry and Bill was quick and light-hearted, Donna briskly fell in love with Sam.
They spend their days together confessing their feelings on a row-boat ride, they walk along the shore under the moonlight, and end their nights in Donna’s bed. But when she opens a drawer and finds a picture of Sam with another woman, she demands to know who it is. Sam admits he is engaged and Donna kicks him out. This isn’t easy for her as she regrettably watches Sam leave on his boat. She’s upset, she’s heartbroken, she leans on her friends for support, however, she knows better than to allow herself to be treated so disrespectfully.
She doesn’t blame herself, or Sam’s fiance, she knows this is his mistake. Not only has Sam disrespected her, but he’s disrespected his own fiance and Donna isn’t going to let anyone who treats women that way stick around.
What Can We Learn From Donna in Mamma Mia 2?
There is so much Donna has taught us throughout Mamma Mia 2. From the importance of self-worth to all the beautiful things the world has to offer us, she shows us that the only limits in life are the ones we put on ourselves and if we truly allow ourselves to seek adventure, we will find it.
“Life is short, the world is wide, and I want to make some memories.”
(( Donna Sheridan, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again ))
There’s a saying that states if you’re inspired by a movie character, it’s because that character reminds you of a part of yourself that you’ve hidden away. However, those traits and characteristics are dying to come out. This is how most of us view characters like Donna Sheridan in Mamma Mia 2. We crave the kind of spontaneity and bravery she exudes.
Donna teaches us to be unafraid, to go after what we want, and to always allow ourselves a little fun even if it may end in ways we aren’t prepared for. Donna shows us that even the most unprecedented circumstances can be perceived as an exhilarating adventure. Most importantly, Donna teaches us with bravery, everything will end up just fine.