Maxwell Caulfield knew he was stepping into some big shoes when he scored the leading male role in Grease 2, the 1982 sequel to the iconic 1978 movie musical.
Caulfield was cast as Rydell High newcomer Michael Carrington, who falls for Stephanie Zinone, the leader of the Pink Ladies, played by none other than up-and-coming actress Michelle Pfeiffer. But in a revealing new interview with Fox News Digital, Caulfield opened up about why it was clear he and Pfeiffer probably wouldn't have the same level of onscreen chemistry as John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, who made the original film a runaway success.
"We did not have the kind of relationship thatJohn Travolta and Olivia Newton-John did," he explained. "They were so symbiotic, they absolutely loved each other. Michelle and I only had to play being in love. And we both just got married. So, there was no question about any [lines] being crossed in that regard."
(Photo by Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)(Photo by Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
While the duo worked well together, Caulfield admitted that he still thinks "Michelle is a bit of a sphinx, and that she has "always retained a certain mystery."
While all the stars of the original film were instantly skyrocketed to superstardom, the actors weren't sure how the response to Grease 2 would be in the public eye.
"I think we were both apprehensive about imminent stardom," he said. "We would sometimes talk about how one would handle it, because it’s a very real thing to suddenly become world famous. It suddenly means, like everything in life, there’s a price to pay."
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What Happened to Caulfield After 'Grease 2'?
Caulfield and Pfeiffer soon figured out what would happen in response to the film when it flopped. Hated by critics and pummeled by Steven Spielberg's E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial at the box office, the movie didn't get the response they hoped for. However, Pfeiffer's star began to shine brightly. In 1983, she starred as the troubled Elvira Hancock in Scarface opposite Al Pacino.
"When the film… didn’t take off, I went down with the ship," Caulfield told Fox. "But she rose like a fabulous phoenix."
Caulfield still hoped to find success and had several good roles. He did 49 episodes of The Colbys, a Dynasty spinoff starring Charlton Heston. Still, he hoped for film stardom.
"I did hope to be embraced by a movie-going audience," he said. "I did aspire to represent a certain mantle of cool that movie stardom bestows upon you… There’s just something about achieving that kind of tremendous success," he noted.
Of course, that iconic film role came several years later with his turn as the egomaniacal pop star Rex Manning in 1995's Empire Records.
"Empire Records?’ Never heard of it," he joked while speaking to Fox. "Empire Records is an extraordinary thing. It’s up there with Grease 2 in terms of a movie that literally nobody went to see on the opening weekend, but thanks to you, kids, you revived it from the graveyard of cinematic bombs and elevated it to genuine cult status. And I did get to play a strutting peacock in that."
As for his relationship with Pfeiffer, Caulfield said he'd love to star opposite the film icon.
"I hope one day to work with her again," he shared. "She’s a wonderfully generous actress."
A prolific stage actor, Caulfield is currently starring in The Lost Gospel of Pontius Pilate.
Related: Cult-Classic ‘80s Movie Stars' Reunion Has Fans Screaming ‘My Childhood’
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