Pink Ladies and Cool Riders! ‘Grease 2’ Cast: Where Are They Now?
Cool rider! Grease 2 added motorcycles to its predecessor’s successful musical formula to create a sleeper hit that fans are still falling in love with decades later.
In 1982, the Grease sequel took fans back to Rydell High for a new spin on the high school popular crowd. While Sandy (Olivia Newton-John) and Danny (John Travolta) had graduated, their presence was felt with a new generation of the Pink Ladies and the T-Birds.
In the second film, which was set two years after the events of the original movie in 1961, Sandy’s cousin, Michael Carrington (Maxwell Caulfield), finds himself trying to fit in. With the help of OG Pink Lady Frenchy (Didi Conn), who comes back to finish her degree, he slowly finds his way.
After falling for Pink Lady rebel Stephanie Zinone (Michelle Pfeiffer), Michael realizes that he needs to be more than the helpful tutor on campus. He teaches himself how to ride a motorcycle — which is the vehicle of choice for the new T-Birds — and eventually lands the girl.
While the 1978 original was a massive success and is still beloved today, Grease 2 had a much slower burn. “At the time, I was young and didn’t know better,” Pfeiffer told WENN in 2014 of taking the role. “I hated that film with a vengeance and could not believe how bad it was.”
The Age of Innocence star explained to Entertainment Weekly in April 2023 that there was “a tremendous amount of hype” around the sequel.
“Both Maxwell and I were both unknowns. There was a lot of marketing that was centered around us. I remember there was this one ad that was like, ‘Too hot.’ And I thought, ‘Oh my God, this is so awkward. What if people don’t think I’m hot? I’m being shoved down people’s throats,’” she recalled. “I do remember feeling a lot of pressure on our shoulders for this to succeed. Because the first one was so beloved. It was a really tough act to follow.”
The Batman Returns actress, however, later changed her tune — as did many fans — and embraced the newly dubbed “cult classic” for what it was.
“The movie is a lot of fun and it targets a very specific kind of audience. I am a little surprised that it has this cult following now. But it’s really cool,” Pfeiffer told the outlet. “I guess maybe everything that goes around comes around. With a little distance, people are a little more kind and forgiving.”
Christopher McDonald, who played T-Bird Goose, agreed with his costar, noting that the “expectations were probably too high” but the story line was something that has held up with time.
“Over the years, people have seen how it’s such a different take. It wasn’t the boy’s point of view. It was the girl’s point of view. Girls really responded to this movie,” McDonald told EW. “To this day, they come up to me, and they say how much they absolutely loved it and ask me to sing ‘Where does the pollen go?’ And then they scream.” (The cast famously sings about the birds and the bees while learning about sex education in school.)
Caulfield, for his part, revealed how relieved he was that “over time, it has been reappraised” by viewers. “Realize it’s actually not just a cheap knockoff, it’s a really fun film. I guarantee they’re doing a new series partly because of the cult standing of Grease 2,” the Colbys alum said, referring to the 2023 Paramount+ series Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies.
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Scroll down to see what the Grease 2 has been doing since 1982:
The California native portrayed angsty Pink Lady Stephanie Zinone. Pfeiffer went on to star in Scarface, The Witches of Eastwick, One Fine Day, I Am Sam, Dark Shadows, Murder on the Orient Express, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Avengers: End Game and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. The actress portrayed Betty Ford on 2022’s miniseries The First Lady. She has been nominated for three Oscars in 1989 for Dangerous Liasons, in 1990 for The Fabulous Baker Boys and in 1993 for Love Field. The Delta House alum was married to Peter Horton from 1981 to 1988. She tied the knot for a second time in 1993 to husband David E. Kelley. The couple share two children, daughter Claudia, whom Pfeiffer adopted in 1993 ahead of the pair’s nuptials, and son John Henry, whom they welcomed in 1994. Moviestore/Shutterstock; DAVID SWANSON/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Caulfield made his film debut as exchange student and wannabee biker Michael Carrington. The England native went on to star in The Boys Next Door, Gettysburg, Empire Records, Facing the Enemy, A Prince for Christmas and Butlers in Love. His TV credits include Dynasty, The Colbys, Spider-Man: The Animated Series, Strip Mall, Casualty and Emmerdale Farm. Caulfield has also appeared on Broadway and made his West End debut in 2007 playing Billy Flynn in Chicago. The Man Who Knew Too Little actor has been married to Hayley Mills’ eldest sibling, Juliet Mills, since 1980. Caulfield is the stepfather of Juliet’s two children, daughter Melissa and son Sean, from her prior marriages. Adam Scull/Shutterstock; Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock
The Chicago native portrayed T-Birds leader Johnny Nogerelli. Zmed then appeared in Bachelor Party, The Other Woman, Unconditional Love, The Craving Heart and Sharnando 4: The 4th Awakens. He had a starring role on T.J. Hooker, playing officer Vince Romano, before doing cameos on The Love Boat, The Steve Harvey Show, Passions and Lady Dynamite. Zmed made his directorial debut with 2015’s D’Coffee Shop Closes at 9 PM and five years later he produced Women Erased. Throughout his career, the actor has done theater. He starred in Broadway’s Falsettos, Blood Brothers and Grease and has been part of the Middletown play cast since 2019. The Goodtime Girls alum shares sons Dylan and Zachary with first wife Barbara Fitzner. He wed Broadway actress Susan Wood in 1995 but the pair eventually called it quits. Zmed has been married to Lyssa Lynne since 2012. Bei/Shutterstock; Broadimage/Shutterstock
The California native portrayed Pink Ladies member Paulette Rebchuck, who is in love with Johnny. Luft appeared in Where the Boys Are, Fear Stalk, My Giant and 54. Her TV credits include Trapper John, M.D. and a few episodes of Murder, She Wrote. Luft took a break from acting in the early 2000s and returned in 2007 to voice Joanna on Rick & Steve the Happiest Gay Couple in All the World. Her last onscreen credit is an episode of Sean Saves the World in 2014. The actress — who is the daughter of Judy Garland and producer Sidney Luft — wrote and produced two episodes of the 2001 miniseries, Life With Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows. In 2007, Lorna released her debut album, Lorna Luft: Songs My Mother Taught Me, in the U.K. Eight years later, she toured the U.K. for her show, Judy — The Songbook of Judy Garland, which highlighted her mother’s life and music. She is also a theater performer, appearing in 2019 and 2022’s White Christmas shows in the U.S. and the U.K. and 2023’s 70, Girl, 70. Liza Minnelli’s half-sister was married to Jake Hooker from 1977 to 1993. The exes share two children, Jesse and Vanessa. Lorna remarried in 1996 to Colin Freeman. Moviestore/Shutterstock; Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock
McDonald played T-Bird No. 2 guy Goose McKenzie. The New York native has since starred in The Boys Next Door, An Eight Is Enough Wedding, Thelma & Louise, Happy Gilmore, Leave It to Beaver, The Perfect Storm, Don’t Worry Baby and Rosaline. His biggest TV roles include working on Veronica’s Closet, Family Law, Cracking Up, Harry’s Law, Boardwalk Empire, The Good Wife, Ballers, Hacks and The Watcher. The Emmy winner married Lupe McDonald in 1992. The couple share four children: son Jackson and daughters Hannah, Rosie and Ava. Moviestore/Shutterstock; Dave Starbuck/Shutterstock
The Minnesota native played Pink Ladies member and pageant enthusiast Sharon Cooper. Teefy went on to star in Supergirl, Disaster at Silo 7 and Men Seeking Women. She voiced Chrome on the 1997 series, Perversions of Science, before taking a break from acting the following year. Teefy returned to the big screen in the 2017 short film Hollywood Girl: The Peg Entwistle Story. In 2015, she wrote and starred in the one-woman show, A Subject for a Short Story, which toured for two years. She has remained a theater actress in the years that followed. The Fame actress was married to director Alexander Cassini from 1982 to 2006. The exes share one child, daughter Isabella, born in 1986. Moviestore/Shutterstock; Courtesy of Maureen Teefy/Twitter
The Rhode Island native made his acting debut as T-Bird member Louis DiMucci. Frechette later starred in The Hills Have Eyes Part II, No Small Affair, The Kindred, Paint It Black, Empire City, The First Wives Club and The Savages. He portrayed George Fraley on Profiler from 1996 to 2000. Frechette took a break from film acting in 2008 but returned in 2016 as Richard Dillon on Devious Maids. He is a founding member of the New York theater company The Drama Department and was a member of the resident ensemble at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival from 2011 to 2015. Frechette married theater director David Warren in 2017. Carolyn Contino/BEI/Shutterstock; Courtesy of Peter Frechette/Instagram
The actress’ role as Paulette’s little sister — and Pink Lady in training — Dolores Rebchuck was her first acting gig. She has since appeared on The Facts of Life, The Redd Foxx Show, Down the Shore, Californication, Louie, Young Sheldon and Better Things. Her movie roles include Say Anything, Eat Your Heart Out, Lucky 13, All Square, Bumblee and Holler. Adlon is best known for her voice work, including parts on Problem Child, Phantom 2040, Quack Pack, Pepper Ann, Recess, King of the Hill, Pete the Cat and Hamster & Gretel. From 2016 to 2022, the New York native served as the writer and executive producer on Better Things. The Emmy winner was married to Felix O. Adlon from 1996 to 2010. The exes share three children: daughters Gideon, Odessa and Valentine. Cinema Group/Kobal/Shutterstock; Frank Micelotta/PictureGroup for Hulu/Shutterstock
Price’s role as one of the Pink Ladies named Rhonda Ritter was her first acting credit. She then appeared in Airplane II: The Sequel, The Seduction of Gina and Unfaithfully Yours before stepping back from Hollywood in 1984. Price later worked in the restaurant business and has been the owner of Alison Group Food since 2009. Courtesy of Alison Price Becker/Facebook
Green got his start in Hollywood by playing T-Bird Davey Jaworski. He then starred in Joysticks and The Best of Times and had cameos on Trauma Center, The Facts of Life and Simon & Simon. His final acting credit is from 1986. Green has since become a production manager working on 2001’s Osmosis Jones, 2003’s Looney Tunes: Back in Action and 2006’s Brother Bear 2. He is currently the CEO of The Young Americans, which is a nonprofit organization designed to teach and inspire young performers. Courtesy of Leif Green/Facebook
Conn reprised her role as Frenchy, serving as a confidant of Michael. The New York native then starred on Benson and Shining Time Station. Her film credits include the Shining Time Station TV movie franchise, The Call, Most Likely to Murder, The Mimic, One December Night and The Oh Gees. Conn is also a theater star having starred in Broadway’s Lost in Yonkers, The Green Bird and Say Goodnight, Gracie. She was part of the Middletown cast from 2019 to 2021. The Grease star was married to Frankie Conn from 1975 to 1978. She got married for a second time to composer David Shire in 1982. The couple share son Daniel. Didi is also the stepmother to Shire’s eldest son, Matthew, whom he shares with ex-wife Talia Shire. Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock; Dan Wooller/Shutterstock
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