“I had an off-Broadway rep that's all I could lay claim to. Established male pop stars like Andy Gibb, Leif Garrett, Shaun Cassidy, and Rick Springfield - “A lot of guys who were way more qualified to play it than me,” Caulfield says humbly - were all in the running to play Michael Carrington before Caulfield won the role, and Pfeiffer was even more of a newbie than Caulfield. Travolta was of course already a star on the rise from Welcome Back, Kotter when he signed on for the original Grease, and Travolta’s Grease co-star, Olivia Newton-John, was a bona pop superstar. Be careful what you wish for, isn't that what they say?”
Civilization vi platinum edition movie#
(Frankly, the only problem I had with the movie was it took a massive suspension of disbelief to accept that Michael Carrington, the goody-two-shoes exchange student and unrequited love interest of Pfeiffer’s Stephanie Zinone, would not be Rydell High’s BMOC the moment he stepped off that yellow school bus - or that he would have to cover his pretty face with motorcycle goggles to get the girl.)Ĭaulfield actually chucklingly recalls working as a movie usher in London’s cinema district and witnessing the Beatlemania-like commotion when Travolta showed up for the West End Saturday Night Fever premiere, thinking, “‘Man, wow, I'd like a piece of this!’ Flash-forward four years later… It was a pretty tall order. With his swoon-inducing British accent and sculpted cheekbones that made him seem like the sixth member of Duran Duran, Caulfield certainly had that sort of teen-heartthrob potential. It’s easy to understand why everyone, from Carr to Caulfield himself, might have predicted that Caulfield was going to become The Next John Travolta once Grease 2 hit theaters on June 11, 1982. But yeah, I was derailed, seriously derailed - and I think maybe I'd bought my own publicity.” Not that I begrudged her it at all I'd always recognized that she was a very luminous and talented actress, and it wasn't just purely looks, as she's gone on to prove time and time again. … I'll be honest with you: It was tough to see Michelle's success, on the scale of it. I know 12 million bucks doesn't sound like a lot of money now, but they spent a lot of money making that film, and they took a lot of time making it. “You see that it really was a big, splashy movie. “It's not so much that I was bitter about the failure of Grease 2 to launch,” Caulfield explains. Maxwell Caulfield and Michelle Pfeiffer in ‘Grease 2’ (Photo: Everett Collection) “I mean, negative people saying, ‘Are you outta your mind?’” I assure him that - on the contrary - the article’s comments section made me realize I was far from alone in my opinion. “Did you get a lot of reaction to the article?” he asks. So, I'm not going to deny it, or pretend that I've moved on to bigger and better things.”Ĭaulfield also appreciates that Grease 2 has amassed a devoted underground following in recent years - with midnight movie screenings, the Grease 2-inspired musical Cool Rider!, a very comprehensive fan website, and a vinyl soundtrack reissue - although when I mention that I once dared to write a Yahoo article arguing that Grease 2 is a better movie than Grease, he still seems incredulous.
“But I'm happy to talk about it, because you know, it is what I'm best known for. “My initial reaction, because obviously I've talked about the film over the years from time to time when it's come up, was I used to be almost an apologist for the film,” he admits. Grease 2 ended up grossing only about $15 million at the box office, compared to Grease’s $132 million.īut as Paramount Pictures releases a new limited-edition Grease 2 Blu-ray SteelBook to commemorate the misunderstood movie’s 40th anniversary, Caulfield, at age 62, has finally come to terms with its legacy. Sadly, greased lightnin’ did not strike twice with the controversial sequel, which - despite being helmed by Grease producer Allan Carr, boasting nearly double the budget of its popular predecessor, and starring another talented newcomer, Michelle Pfeiffer - was not the one that moviegoers wanted back in the summer of ‘82. Sloan - actually once blamed Grease 2 for derailing his promising theater career. Caulfield of course went on to become the Rex Manning of Empire Records, but the British stage actor’s big-screen debut took place 40 years ago, when he was cast as the Cool Rider, aka Michael Carrington, in another cult-classic musical movie: Grease 2.Ĭaulfield -who celebrated his 21st birthday on the Grease 2 set, just as he was coming off the It-Boy buzz of his breakout role in the off-Broadway play Entertaining Mr. “You have my undivided attention, young lady,” Maxwell Caulfield says bemusedly, as he logs on to Yahoo Entertainment’s Zoom interview and immediately notices my Grease 2 T-shirt.
0 kommentar(er)
