Marisa Davila Breaks Down Female Stereotypes on ‘Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies’ [Interview]

Marisa Davila may be a fresh face in the industry, but her talent radiates off the screen as Jane Facciano on Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies. She brings both the sweet and spicy to what becomes a multi-layered leading lady.

Creating more content within a universe that is already beloved by so many has “meant the world” to this theatre kid who loves the Grease world as much as everyone else.

I recently had the opportunity to sit down and discuss Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies Season 1 with Davila. She was eager to discuss not only Jane but the ripple effects her actions create for the characters around her, especially her fellow Pink Ladies.

“I did become president, and I did get my friends back. And that was because I pursued very passionately the things that were important to me. So I think that she could carry that lesson into season two. I think we’d see how she is in this position as student council president because we’ve only seen her get the position, not carry it out.” Davila said.

“With Hazel, Jane was very open to hearing a different perspective. As president, will she know what’s best? Other students in the school have concerns and different points of view that she never would’ve considered before, will she listen? I think there’s a lot more growth to come,” she added.

Davila mentioned that at the beginning Jane was a goodie two shoes who didn’t have many friends, nor was she seen as popular. All she believed that she had going for her was that she was dating Buddy, the quarterback.

Diving into what Jane learned about herself on this journey was like opening up the mind of Davila and how she sees this character on and off the page.

“In the beginning, she thought that status was of so much value. And that status is a big part of having influence. But at the same time, it’s like we’ve seen how much influence she has along with the Pink Ladies when they walk to the beat of their own drum,” Davila said.

“I think that she’s found more of a place being a voice for the people, as cliche as that sounds. And kind of just having open eyes and open ears. I think it’s so easy at that age to only want. To define yourself as like, wow, the quarterback’s girlfriend. But [then] you’re realizing that the quarterback isn’t even the person that you thought he was.”

“The titles that these kids wear in these schools say nothing about the people that they are, especially because they’re ever-changing. Like they’re in their fetus stages of trying to figure out who they are,” she concluded.

As we got into more about relationships on the show and how they reflect real life, Davila was quick to remind us that “friendships, especially female friendships, are so important.”

“I found going through my scholastic career, female friendships were sometimes the hardest to find. I think that society sometimes pins us against each other and just how certain scenarios unfold creating drama.”

“[Female friendships] are what I value the most. There are many minorities that are represented in our show, [and] women are one of them. To have a group of four female presenting pink ladies just there for each other, I think it’s really rare and special.” Davila stated.

“It’s just been a blessing to have that on screen and for me as a person and to be able to rely on the Pinks in real life as well.”

One of the best moments for the Pink Ladies comes during the penultimate and finale episodes of Season 1. They have all drifted a bit, but they come back together to try and help Olivia make the right decision for her future.

Davila reflected on what she felt was one of the most “impactful moments of the season.”

“Confrontation is so hard with anybody in life, even more so your friends because then you’re at risk of losing them when you approach them and it’s all because you care. It’s all because you love them, and you want what’s best for them.”

She added, “That’s what’s so heartbreaking about having the courage to stand up to your friends and say what you think they need to hear. Jane has no idea what Olivia’s gone through, especially because they just met after she got caught with the teacher the year before. So [Jane] doesn’t even have that history to go off of, and I think it’s just a blown-up miscommunication.”

Olivia has so many heartbreaks going on in her life all at once she’s lost sight of who she really is. With Richie going away she fears that she’s all alone and that being Mr. Daniels’ wife is all she has.

It’s Jane’s courage that reminds her that her place with the Pink Ladies is always going to be there. It gives her the confidence to know her value and worth outside of her relationships.

“When Jane says [to Olivia] ‘you should go to college,’ Olivia has already forgotten how great of a writer she is and is blinded by this proposal that’s been given to her. I think you gotta leave it to your friends to see the bigger picture and remind you of things you might not even be considering and remind you [that] you’re good at this.”

Switching gears a bit, Davila revealed some of her favorite musical numbers from the show.

“I have favorites for different reasons. ‘I Want More’ was my favorite to do by myself. And I loved ‘The Hand Jive’ because I got to do that with my great friend Chanel Bailey.”

“I love ‘Different This Year Reprise’ because that was the very first thing we’d shot for the show. Walking into my bedroom singing presidential slut and flying off on a bed, I was like, ‘If this is what to expect for the next seven months I am in.'” Davila explained.

She even revealed a fun fact about that moment on the first day of filming.

“The four of us had never sung in front of each other. For all of our callbacks and testing, we just sang for the creators and the producers, and everyone for the show. But in terms of singing in front of the other Pinks, we hadn’t done that yet. We were holding hands on the bed, our hands were all sweaty, and we sang our four-part harmony.”

Everyone who is a fan of Grease will remember the carnival scene from the movie. It’s a scene that the show tries to recreate in the finale in its own way.

“I’ve always been a lover of the carnival scene in the movie. We have a dance number at our school carnival, and so that was incredibly fulfilling to me as just a lover of musical theater… It’s different for me from the drive-in because the drive-in was a night shoot, and [for the Carnival] I got to open that song, which was a dream come true.”

While Jane has many facets to love about her, there is just one that Davila loves the most. “It’s really fun for me to see a girl who wears her intellect so outwardly and be chased by two of the hottest boys.”

She went on to say that she wasn’t even kidding considering how infrequently society tells us that smart girls can be sexy too. For Davila, it was just fun to play someone who could be smart, sassy, and sexy all in one.

Davila added, “She doesn’t even realize that about herself enough to change who she is to attract more people. I think there’s something to that, that we can all learn — myself included.”

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Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies is now streaming on Paramount+.

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