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Henry Winkler Recalls Turning Down John Travolta’s Role in 'Grease' Because He Feared Being 'Typecast'

Henry Winkler says he regrets turning down John Travolta's role in 'Grease,' but admits he's not much of a singer anyway.

The prospect of playing Danny Zuko in the 1978 film adaptation of Grease wasn’t exactly electrifying to Henry Winkler. Despite missing out on starring in a blockbuster musical that further burnished Travolta’s status as a Hollywood leading man, Winkler admitted that he wasn’t the strongest singer — presumably a prerequisite for a role in Grease. Winkler recalled Diamond inviting him onstage to perform a duet of his 1972 hit, “Song Sung Blue.”

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