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.
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.
Most of the lead stars were in their 20s and 30s while filming Grease with Travolta aged 23 and Newton-John aged 29, despite playing teenagers. However, casting director Joel Thurm has at long last explained why older actors were used, stressing that it was totally intentional.
Hollywood star Henry Winkler revealed on Thursday the surprising reason he turned down John Travolta's star-making role as Danny Zuko in Grease. The comedian, 77, told Kyle and Jackie O that he declined the role of the cheeky greaser because it felt too similar to his iconic Happy Days character The Fonz.
How old was Olivia Newton-John when she was in Grease?
Disillusioned by her Toomorrow experience and concerned that she was too old to play a high school senior (she was 28 during the filming of Grease), Newton-John insisted on a screen test with the film's co-lead, John Travolta.
They were the subject of persistent romance rumors after they steamed up screens in 1978's “Grease.” But Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta never got physical while filming the movie musical, and instead went on to share a 44-year friendship that remained strictly platonic.
Did Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta get along Grease?
Danny and Sandy forever. Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta were friends for more than four decades before she passed away at the age of 73. The actress and the Welcome Back, Kotter alum hit it off on the set of Grease, which hit theaters in 1978, portraying unlikely couple Danny Zuko and Sandy Olsson.
Henry Winkler's "Happy Days" character, Fonzie, basically was Danny Zuko, so he was a natural first thought for the film. But Winkler had been playing the ABC role for a decade, so he passed on "Grease."
After playing Rizzo in Grease, Channing played First Lady Abbey Bartlet in The West Wing for seven years, as well as racking up TV credits in Batman Beyond, Out Of Practice and, recently, The Good Wife.
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.
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.
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.
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 17- or 18-year-old Putzie famously hits Kenickie in the head with his car door ahead of the T-Birds' drag race with the Scorpions. Putzie is a bit clumsier and less cool than the other T-Birds.
Is Rydell High School a real school? Not only is Rydell High School fictitious, but the school scenes in Grease were also actually filmed in three different places—Venice High School, Huntington Park High School and John Marshall High School. Of the three schools, Venice High was used for its aesthetics.
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.
Marie's brother Donny was imagined as the Teen Angel. And so was Elvis. Carr had Donny Osmond in mind for the appearance, and Elvis—who died during the summer the film was shot—was also rumored for the part, which eventually went to Frankie Avalon.
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.
Henry Winkler missed out on some serious greased lightning in a bottle. In an interview with CNN's Chris Wallace that aired over the weekend, the 77-year-old actor said he was offered the role of Danny Zuko in 1978's musical film Grease, which would go on to help cement John Travolta's icon status in Hollywood.
Though the actors stayed in character as Sandy and Danny on set, their romance was limited to the script. In her autobiography, Newton-John recalls having a mutual "attraction" with Travolta but explains that they were both committed to other people.
"There was a lot of press speculation about whether they were romantically involved or not. But Olivia insisted, and always said, that Andy was one of her dearest friends. And even when Andy was alive, he would say the same thing about her. Some people have speculated on whether they were more than friends.
'Yes, we really liked each other and there was an attraction, but we would never date because we were both involved with other people at the time and both of us have a loyalty streak that runs deep." Travolta, as quoted by the Daily Mail, also recalled: "It almost happened between us a few times, but it didn't.
