Earlier this month, Entertainment Weekly published a double-ketchup sized oral history of one of the greatest movies ever made, Grease 2. You can read the full, lengthy piece here, comprised of interviews with nearly every important player in the film. This includes star Michelle Pfeiffer, who probably says more about the film here than she ever has before. It’s wonderful to read her reminiscing about making Grease 2 and how touched she seems that it grew into something bigger than she ever could’ve imagined. The cult following for Grease 2 is big and seemingly just getting bigger as the years go on. EW’s comprehensive oral history is definitely a must-read for these Grease 2 fanatics. I’m sharing it here along with a few choice excerpts because it’s my duty to share it far and wide with other fans who love it as much as I do.
On his comic book podcast, my friend Shagg often implores listeners to “find your joy.” He means find the thing, or the things, that bring you most joy and just revel in them. Read the comics, listen to the music, and watch the movies that make you happy. Grease 2 is one of those things for me. My joy lives right there with Stephanie and Michael and the rest of the gang at Rydell High. The EW oral history really captures what makes the film so joyful to me. It’s the fist time the entire cast has looked back on it together, and their joy is palpable in this piece. It’s heartening to see how much they appreciate the film’s robust cult of fans.
Michelle Pfeiffer on playing the coolest Pink Lady, Stephanie Zinone:
Stephanie was not a huge stretch. She’s way sassier than I am, but I have that part of my personality that can come out every now and then.
Maxwell Caufield (Michael) on kissing Michelle Pfeiffer:
Suddenly I burst through the doors, and she landed one right on the smacker. It was gratefully received. [Laughs]
Adrian Zmed (Johnny Nogarelli) on the film’s opening musical number:
“Back to School” is, in my opinion, one of the best openings of a movie musical ever. It’s a very long musical number because it’s broken up by dialogue, and it introduces every single character as it comes along. And by the time everybody’s introduced, everybody’s there ready to walk into the school. We’re all doing a version of the Twist because 1962 is when the Twist started.
Didi Conn (Frenchy) knew Michelle Pfeiffer was destined for stardom:
It was my first day of working in the makeup chair sits down the most natural beauty I’ve ever seen. And that was Michelle Pfeiffer. I looked at her, and then I watched her work, and I thought, “She’s gonna be a big star. She’s something special.” She’s the one I talked to the most.
Christopher McDonald (Goose) describes how all fans feel about Michelle Pfeiffer:
One day we had off was when Michelle was doing her “I want a Cool Rider” thing sitting on top of that ladder, and Leif Green [who played Davey] and I came to work. We basically were standing in the background just to watch her do her thing because she was luminous. Absolutely radiantly beautiful, cool, and funny. She played her so, so spot on.
There’s so much more to read and enjoy, like Michelle talking about how she really did the stunt where she swings around and straddles the handlebars on the motorcycle as Max Caufield drives! If you’re as hardcore a fan as I am, you’ll bask in these beautiful memories from a cast of cherished actors who, along with director Patricia Birch and the rest of the crew, created something truly special, even if no one realized it until years later when the fans willed it to be. This oral history is a gift to all the fans who wouldn’t shut up about how much we love Grease 2.
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