Michelle Pfeiffer has opened up about the nerve-racking audition that launched her Hollywood career, revealing she walked away from her breakthrough role in Grease 2 convinced she had completely blown her chance.
The Oscar-nominated actress, now 68, looked back on the unforgettable moment during a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, admitting she left the audition “with my tail between my legs” after struggling through the singing and dancing required for the role.
Despite becoming one of Hollywood’s most celebrated leading ladies, Michelle confessed she never believed she would land the part of Stephanie Zinone, the fearless leader of the Pink Ladies in the 1982 musical sequel. “I had zero expectations of landing this part,” she recalled, explaining that her agents had only sent her along “for the experience.”
© Ron Galella Collection via Getty‘It was such a cattle call’
Michelle described the audition as overwhelming from the moment she arrived.
“It was such a cattle call — there were actors and dancers and singers everywhere hanging out, coming in and out auditioning, and there were very thin walls,” she said.
“All the other actors waiting to go in could hear your reading, could hear your singing.”
© Alamy Stock PhotoThe actress admitted that singing and dancing were far outside her comfort zone at the time.”I was not a singer,” she explained. “I was taking voice classes to really improve my stage voice at the recommendation of my acting coach. And I certainly was not a dancer.”
Things only became more daunting when the dance audition began.Michelle recalled slowly retreating to the back of the room as dancers lined up to perform the choreography.
“I kept moving further to the back,” she said, admitting she eventually found herself in the last row. “I stumbled my way through because I couldn’t remember the choreography.”
The surprise that changed everything
© Walt Disney Television Photo ArcConvinced her Hollywood dream had slipped away, Michelle headed for the exit feeling completely defeated. “I left with my tail between my legs, feeling so humiliated,” she admitted.
But as she walked across the Paramount lot, an unexpected moment changed everything. “Somebody’s assistant, I think it was Pat Birch’s assistant, ran after me,” Michelle recalled.
“I said something about being really embarrassed, and she said, ‘Well, you shouldn’t be because she wants you to come back tomorrow.'”
That second audition ultimately led to Michelle landing the starring role of Stephanie Zinone, reversing the original Grease formula by playing the rebellious Pink Lady who falls for the film’s clean-cut hero.
Although Michelle doubted her musical abilities at the time, her performance of Cool Rider has since become one of the sequel’s most beloved moments and remains a fan favourite more than four decades later.
From breakthrough role to Hollywood icon
Grease 2 marked the beginning of an extraordinary career that soon saw Michelle star opposite Al Pacino in Scarface before earning three consecutive Academy Award nominations for Married to the Mob, Dangerous Liaisons and The Fabulous Baker Boys.
More recently, the actress has joined Taylor Sheridan’s upcoming drama The Madison.
© Variety via Getty ImagesSpeaking earlier this year to The Hollywood Reporter, Michelle admitted she initially hesitated before signing on because she wanted to better understand her character.
She eventually sought advice from Dame Helen Mirren, who had previously worked with Taylor in 1923.”Helen just glowed,” Michelle said. “She couldn’t say enough nice things. “She said the scripts were great, the productions were perfect. She was having the time of her life; she loved Montana.
“So I took a big leap of faith, and I committed. I thought, ‘Well, the guy has a pretty darn good track record.'”
