Frankie Avalon Almost Didn’t Star on ‘Grease’ After His Character Was Depicted Too Similarly to Elvis Presley

Frankie Avalon has been famous since the 1950s, but he became even more popular when he starred in the 1978 movie adaptation of Grease. However, he recently revealed that he almost didn't land the role as he was concerned about the character being depicted too similarly to a legendary artist.

The musician recently appeared in an episode of the Our Way with Paul Anka and Skip Bronson podcast, in which he recalled how he starred in the movie.

He told the hosts that he first saw the Broadway musical in the early 1970s because of a publicity stunt as he was performing in New York City at the time.

Later, he remembered playing golf where his manager was waiting for him. The manager then told him that he had gotten a script from Paramount, and the production wanted him to star in the movie. He was told he would play "Teen Angel," but he immediately rejected their request and agreed to meet the production team.

"I say, 'Well, because I saw the play and the character Teen Angel is all in black and he's got long sideburns - it's Elvis. I'm not Elvis. I got my own style. I don't sing like that. I don't do gyrations,'" he said.

The team offered to change some things, and then agreed to dress him in all white, contrary to the original costume used in the Broadway version.

"We started working on the thing. That's how I did the picture. I said, 'Okay, I'll do it.' If you saw the play, that's how Teen Angel was," he added.

Although his role didn't appear in most of the film, it greatly impacted his life. In the interview, he said that out of all the movies he made, Grease was the one he considered "outstanding."

"Huge all over the world. 'Beautiful School Dropout' and me coming down the stairs - around the world, they know that," he added.

In other updates about Frankie Avalon, Broadway World reported that the singer recorded a song in a recording studio for the first time in 45 years.

The new versions of "Beauty School Dropout" and "Beach Blanket Bingo" will be released on May 18, 2024.

Tags

Elvis Presley, News, Music, Musical