Someone Finally Asked Stockard Channing About Rizzo's Hateful Caricature In The Grease Opening Credits

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While Grease may not be anyone's cup of tea, it's been widely viewed as one of the best movies of the ‘70s, as it features all-star talent and catchy tunes many are still singing today. But, if you recall the movie’s opening of a cartoon introducing each character to the title’s song, Rizzo’s caricature wasn't an accurate representation of actress Stockard Channing. Now, someone has finally asked Stockard Channing about her feelings on her character’s hateful cartoon in the opening credits, and her reaction is spot on.Looking back, there are plenty of details in Grease that didn’t make sense or aged poorly, like Rydell High having such a short school year or how Danny and Sandy were able to leave the school carnival in a flying car. But ET (via Instagram) revealed to Stockard Channing that fans weren’t pleased with her character’s caricature of Rizzo in the opening credits. The veteran actress revealed she couldn’t agree more after looking at the drawing herself:My cheeks! I felt the same way. (laughs) That’s even worse than I remember. Look at that!I'm chuckling over how, during the interview, Channing casts a symbolic curse on whoever drew that caricature. To say that Rizzo is done dirty in the opening credits is an understatement. I mean her face is made to look all scrunched up! Many could surely agree with me when I say the West Wing alum doesn't look like that at all in the musical flick. Channing and Rizzo deserve a lot better, especially considering the character is the leader of The Pink Ladies at Rydell High.More on GreaseGrease Star Admits A Flubbed Line Made It Into The Beloved Movie MusicalOn a different note, Channing also revealed that she’d only seen Grease twice. As proud as she is of the musical rom-com, she says she can't bring herself to rewatch it when it plays on TV. That's a shame, because the actress truly steals the show as one of the Oscar-nominated movie’s most unforgettable characters.Honestly, Rizzo really is a Grease side character I love more than the main characters. She's a "too cool for school" kind of teen, who represents those archetypes of the 1950s. The sarcastic movie character has no problem mocking characters like Danny and Sandy or being brutally honest with her boyfriend, Kenickie. But, in her powerful ballad “There Are Worse Things I Could Do,” viewers discover Rizzo's tough attitude is used to mask her own insecurities. Also, her judgment of Sandy is simply revealed to be jealousy, given a tough guy like her ex, Danny, is going for a "good girl" like Sandy. The character's layered arc is just another reason why I'm scratching my head over the inexcusable caricature.Rizzo’s depiction in Grease's opening credits may not be appropriate, but it doesn’t diminish the character's impact or that of the talented actress who portrayed her. I'm not sure if anyone might seek to restore that portion of the credits and make a change but, at the very least, I'm glad others are calling out the disrespectful caricature. Check out Stockard Channing's excellent performance in Grease by streaming it with a Paramount+ subscription.