Charlotte Kavanagh Talks ‘Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies’ and How the Series Honors the Original Films [Interview]

According to actress Charlotte Kavanagh, filming the opening musical number of Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies was “magical.”

Kavanagh plays socialite and “mean girl” Rosemary on the Grease prequel series, and she’s a character we meet early on. I recently had the chance to chat with Kavanagh about her role on Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies, what it was like filming the prequel to the iconic and films, and what we can look forward to from her character this season.

Recalling that opening musical number, Kavanagh noted the challenges of filming it in Vancouver.

“We were at the drive-in for three-night shoots in a row,” she said. “And of course, in Vancouver style, it was just pouring rain the majority of it. But I mean, we managed. We got everything in and as soon as the rain would stop, everyone runs to their spots and gives it their all. And it was quite exciting actually having this crunch time. I also feel like I work a lot better under that kind of pressure.”

“Then in between when it would be raining, we would be in our holding area, blasting music and dancing like it was a club. So that was a really, really fun time filming.”

Kavanagh said she auditioned for the roles of Susan, Rosemary, and Linda — the latter being a character that wound up getting scrapped. “I guess Rosemary just kind of absorbed Linda as well, which is very Rosemary of her,” she laughed. 

“Rosemary is a Soche, so one of the popular girls at Rydell High. She is your class A mean girl. She’s quite devious, quite vain. She’s a typical kind of frenemy. And she’s really good at just always being aware of what is in and making sure she’s on the popular side of things. But I think a lot of people can see through that. I think she’s not as sneaky as she thinks she is,” Kavanagh said.

“She creates a lot of trouble for the Pinks, and just doesn’t have any consequences to it, which says a lot about the 1950s and what your status was and how you can kind of get away with anything based off where you live, what you look like, and all that kind of stuff. So she is one to watch out for.”

Kavanagh also discussed some of the key differences between the new series and the original Grease film.

“I think the difference between the movie and the show is the movie is just — it’s such a happy, good old time. And you get these really small peeks into all those people’s lives that were in the show, like Rizzo, you kind of learn little bit about her. You don’t know too much. It kind of leaves you questioning, ‘Okay, but what happened between her and Danny? And what were all those things that happened before Sandy showed up?'”

“I think what’s so great about our show is that it really can deep dive into the stories of all the people, all the Pinks, all the T-Birds, all the kids at the school, just so much more. And you just get so much more backstory on everybody, which is not so much in the movies.”

That’s not to say there aren’t plenty of similarities as well. The series certainly honors its source material, with plenty of fun references to both Grease and Grease 2.

“We really wanted to make sure that we respected, obviously, and just added to the story, and was a huge hail to the original Grease. And I think mega fans will definitely see all of the Easter eggs that are in there,” Kavanagh noted.

“Some Grease 2 fans will see it. Some Grease people that have seen the original will see it. Yeah, I think there’s something for people that have seen the originals that will really enjoy it, and then also people that have never seen Grease and will still love the show as well.”

For Kavanagh, though, she thinks the music of the series and its dance numbers are what fans should be most excited about.

“The soundtrack is amazing. I mean, what’s really wonderful is that all the songs have a bit of a different sound to it. And so I think that with that too, there’s going to be a song and a dance number for everybody now. Everyone on the set, we all have our own favorite songs and dance numbers.”

“I already can see the TikTok dances coming out, dance competitions, people recreating some of the numbers,” she added. “I’m really excited for all of that. And I’m really excited for people to see the Pinks and their talents, and for them to get the recognition they definitely deserve.”

 

Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies streams Thursdays on Paramount+.

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