In 1978, fans met Frenchy inGrease, a movie adaptation of a Broadway musical.
Moviegoers all over the world soon learned “grease is the word.”
Along with its two main stars,Greasewas also replete with supporting characters.
Read on to discover what Frenchy actress Didi Conn has been up to since herGreasedays.
In 1977, she was cast as one of the leads inHandle With Care, a failed TV pilot.
The song became a phenomenon, hitting number one on theBillboardsingles chartand staying there for a record-settingten weeks.
The film, on the other hand, was hardly a blockbuster andreviewswere so-so.
Conn may not have realized it, but an important chapter of her life was about to begin.
The cast, however, were far from teenagers.
AsMetrohighlighted, Travolta was 23 years old at the time while Newton-John was 28.
At 33, Stockard Channing, akaRizzo, was the oldest “teenager” cast in the film.
When Didi Conn landed the role of Frenchy inGrease, she was27.
Staying in character as teenagers, Conn toldThe Telegraph, was “surreal but also very comforting.”
It really encouraged us."
“I ran to the door to stop my mother coming in,” she detailed to the publication.
“They said to me ‘Didi, what are you doing?
You’re on a soundstage at Paramount.
Your mother’s in Brooklyn!’
I was so into it.”
However, as Conn revealed toThe Telegraph, she was originally intended to have a larger role.
“I had my own number inGrease 2but it got cut,” she said.
“In keeping with Frenchy’s character, I was teaching Maxwell how to be cool.
“Forty years, can you believe it?”
Conn jokingly declared from Frenchy’s bedroom in an interview withRed Carpet News TV.
“It took Moses that long to get out of the desert to the promised land!”
Conductor a role, oddly enough, that had previously been played by Beatles drummerRingo Starr.
After several visits with a pediatric neurologist, Danny was diagnosed as high-functioning on theautismspectrum.
For Conn, the diagnosis initially led her to become “the Queen of Denial.”
She continued, writing, “I wouldn’t believe there was something ‘wrong’ with my son.”
The diagnosis, she continued, changed everything, which included putting the brakes on her acting career.
“I would not take any jobs.
I would never leave him alone.”
Ultimately, she found therapy that was able to help.
In 2002, Conn’s distinctive voice was put to good use inGood Night, Gracie.
Frenchy met Frenchy, thanks to Grease Live!
Didi Conn came full circle in 2016 when the Fox television online grid mounted its live television version ofGrease.
AsEntertainment Tonightreported, Conn did not arrive on the set empty-handed.
Jepsen thanked Conn ina sweet Instagram post, revealing the gifts left her “crying those happy tears.”
“He’s such an intellectual comic,” added Conn of Martin.
For the project, Conn also provided the voice of the title character.
According to Conn,Didi Lightfulboasted “the first autistic child in a fictional series of this kind.”
Hooker).As coincidence would have it, Zmed also appeared inGrease 2.
“He gave my character mononucleosis,” Conn told theJewish Exponent.
“There was already a wonderful vibe with us that was very natural.
It wasn’t something we needed to invent.”
Frenchy from Grease?
“I suspect people are reacting to this announcement with the words, ‘Frenchy from Grease?
and knowing that’s being said brings me real joy.”
“We did two shows completely in mime,” Conn said.
“This is different!”
And I’m getting paid to do it, so why not try?”
she told theManchester Evening News.
