Hair: Alyx Liu, Makeup: Allan Avendano
Styling: Natalie Hoselton
When the part of Jane Facciano from Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies came across Marisa Davila‘s desk, she was elated. “I normally spend a lot of time breaking down the material, but I didn’t this time around. Thankfully, it worked out because the content was a movie musical, and I was like, ‘This is second nature to me.’ I grew up doing musicals, so I was like, ‘Let’s get to it!’ I taped my audition, and then I got asked to add another scene for a callback. I sent them the song I chose, which was Meghan Trainor and John Legend‘s song ‘Like I Am Going to Lose You.’ As the process went on, I was assigned a song Justin Tranter wrote, which was intimidating!” the 25-year-old exclusively tells GRAZIA USA. “Then, you’re singing the song for the person that wrote it, which is scary! I then had to learn choreography, and they didn’t leave us a lot of time to learn the moves.”
During chemistry reads, Davila was paired with the other Pink Ladies, which included Tricia Fukuhara as Nancy Nakagawa, Cheyenne Wells as Olivia Valdovinos and Ari Notartomaso as Cynthia Zdunowski. “When the four of us got together, it just made sense,” she gushes. “What I loved about the four of us getting paired together is that we found the right world for each of our characters. It just felt really right.”
However, the brunette beauty didn’t want to get her hopes up in the chance she didn’t get the part. “I was enjoying the process and felt supported and encouraged by creatives. They wanted me to sing for Justin again, but then they found plenty of videos of me singing online, so they canceled the appointment, which I thought was a bad sign! Then, my manager said they did want to meet with me after all. I then got the role. I think my body went into stress mode because I was so in love with the project. It was a breath of fresh air when they told me I was going to be Jane,” she recalls. “I got really emotional. This is the coolest job in the world.”
Not only does Davila love her castmates, which is “made up of fresh faces” for audiences to get to know, but she also has a soft spot for Jane. “The character is seen as a nerd and an outcast, but when you get to know her, she’s really ambitious and sweet and kind of wouldn’t hurt a fly. When the school turns on her, she gets confused and lost. She collects these other girls along the way that might be going through the same thing, and she realizes she’s not alone. I love Jane to death,” she shares. “It’s a beautiful relationship we created with the cast, and we got really lucky. I am a fan of the show because of the other characters, too. I watch all my friends’ performances because I am so blown away.”
The show, which debuted on April 6, is Paramount+’s origin series, which takes a look at how the Pink Ladies came to be — four years before Sandy, Danny, Rizzo and Kenickie all ruled the school. However, Davila tried to not let the pressure get to her, as the movie Grease has been a hit ever since it debuted in 1978. “I didn’t think about the movie too much because I think it would have affected my performance and you’d feel the fear behind it. I had to say, ‘We’re taking back this world and universe.’ It was about telling this different story.”
Hair: Alyx Liu, Makeup: Allan Avendano
Styling: Natalie Hoselton
Ultimately, the actress wants the series, which is also a musical, to bring people joy. “I hope people have our music on repeat in their cars or on the way to school. I want to hear it everywhere! I’m excited to shock people with how forward and blunt we are and the conversations we’re having,” she says. “It pushes some really serious conversations to the forefront, and I haven’t seen that happen on television in a long time. It’s really refreshing. I also can’t wait for people to see the variety of characters we have and the different points of view. I am proud and honored to be able to raise the new generation, in the best way.”
For Davila, this series is the “biggest dream come true” as she gets to mix together three things she loves: singing, dancing and acting. “It’s hard to not get emotional about it even to this day after doing this production for over two years. I can confidently say this is in my wheelhouse. I trained competitively and danced for about 13 years, and I started singing at six years old. I started on stage performances in fifth grade, and so this is something I’ve been training for — and getting to utilize every single skills I’ve honed in on just fills me with joy.”
From a young age, Davila always remembers wanting to perform. “My mom tried to put me in sports first, but it didn’t last long. My sister did gymnastics, so I got into it, and then she shifted to dance, so I shifted, too. There’s something about stepping onto the stage and putting your heart and soul into something for three minutes straight. It was so riveting, and I didn’t want it to end. It was the same with singing, too. There was this confidence booster when I was growing up — just to use my voice and be confident in who I was. I’ve also been a lover of musicals my whole life,” she shares.
Hair: Alyx Liu, Makeup: Allan Avendano
Styling: Natalie Hoselton
“It feels like this was always in the cards, and it’s just the most magical journey for me,” she gushes. “Not only am I learning from some of the greatest people, but everyone is spectacular. I’m so honored to be part of this. Grease is timeless, and these stories are everlasting.”
As for what’s next, it seems like sky is the limit for Davila. “I’ve broken the glass ceiling for myself, so I hope there’s more seasons ahead. After that, I’d love to stay in film and TV and work on more features. I’d also love to do Broadway, so the possibilities are endless! I am excited to continue to show the world what I am capable of.”
Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies is now streaming on Paramount+.
