In 1977, at the age of 33, Channing was cast for the role of high school teenager Betty Rizzo in the hit musical Grease. The film was released in 1978 and her performance earned her the People's Choice Award for Favorite Motion Picture Supporting Actress.
The late Olivia Newton-John, who costarred as Sandy, was 29 at the time Grease was filmed; Stockard Channing, who played Rizzo, was the principal cast's oldest member at 33 during filming, according to a 2016 Vanity Fair article about the production.
Kelly Ward brought the youngest member of the T-Birds, Putzie, to life in a role specifically created for the film. Grease wasn't his first time working with costar John Travolta, as the two worked together on 1976's made-for-television movie The Boy in the Plastic Bubble.
Frenchy was played by Didi Conn, who was 26 while filming during the summer of 1977. Conn had appeared in multiple TV shows and movies before hitting it big with "Grease."
In a recently published oral history of Grease, Thurm, 80, has admitted the reason why a decision to cast older actors was made. “People might say the cast is too old, but Grease is not a documentary; it's a fantasy,” he told The Guardian. “It's a non-PC fairytale that is better for the cast not being teens.
With only a few television roles and small film appearances, Michelle Pfeiffer, then aged 23, was a relatively unknown actress when she attended the casting call audition for the role of Stephanie. Other actresses considered for the part included Lisa Hartman, Kristy McNichol, Andrea McArdle, and singer Pat Benatar.
Some Rydell High School students were in their 30s
Annette Charles, who played bad girl Cha Cha DiGregorio, was 30. Only Lorenzo Lamas, who played Sandy's jock boyfriend Tom, and who had no lines, was an actual teenager.
The Grease co-stars were still very close up until Olivia's death in August 2022, and even famously reunited in LA in 2002 to sing their classic hit 'You're The One That I Want'. John Travolta was a huge support to Olivia Newton-John as she underwent treatment for breast cancer.
The film is also notable for having Danny (played by John Travolta, who had already had top-40 hits before Grease) sing lead on the song, while Kenickie (Jeff Conaway) contributed with a few call-and-response lines.
“She'd married a guy named Will Smith and now she was living with a guy named Paul Poitier [his character's name]. “And to make matters worse, during shooting I fell in love with Stockard Channing,” Smith confessed. “After the film wrapped, Sheree and Trey and I moved back to L.A,” he continued.
Joining Theatre Company of Boston, she combined her maiden name with her married name to become Stockard Channing. “My family discouraged me,” she said, “but I didn't want to be one of those who say, 'If I could live it all over again, it would be different.
Did Stockard Channing do her own singing in Grease?
Stockard Channing sings lead on two of the tracks; the two tracks remain her only significant contribution to recorded popular music to date. The title track is featured twice on the soundtrack and performed by Frankie Valli, who had no other connection with the film.
The fact that the film was released the same month as 80's classics like E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn and Poltergeist definitely didn't help matters at the box office, but for many critics, it was the stale storyline that really doomed the sequel.
By the time Grease was a hit – and the studio realised a sequel might not be such a bad idea after all – Travolta and Newton-John had moved on to other things. Director Randal Kleiser also gave it a miss. Instead, Patricia Birch, choreographer of the original stage musical and the first film, was put at the helm.
Tom Cruise auditioned for the role of Johnny Nogerelli, but director Patricia Birch wanted someone older and taller. Andy Gibb was initially to play the male lead, but he failed his screen test.
Casting Sandy would prove trickier. Director Randal Kleiser saw rushes from a new film his old college buddy George Lucas was making, titled Star Wars, to see if its female lead, Carrie Fisher, could be a fit. She wasn't. Marie Osmond (left) and Carrie Fisher (right) were both considered for Olivia Newton-John's Sandy.
Was Marie Osmond offered the role of Sandy in Grease?
Osmond became the front-runner but dropped out in protest over Grease's ending and Carr turned to Olivia Newton-John instead. Rather than her be flattered, Newton-John was reluctant to commit because her musical career was going well and her film debut, Toomorrow, had tanked and she didn't want to make another flop.
New PEOPLE Special Edition: Olivia Newton-John on Why She Initially Turned Down 'Grease' Newton-John hadn't wanted to play high schooler Sandy, telling producers: “I'm not American, I can't do an American accent. I'm 29, how can be 18?" Read what changed her mind in an excerpt from PEOPLE's new tribute issue.
Grease was shot in various locations across the Los Angeles area, from the lively South Bay to the charming Silverlake neighborhood. Much of the production was filmed on-site, including exterior shots of Rydell High, taken at Venice High School, Huntington Park High School, and John Marshall High School.
