Vanessa Hudgens, Julianne Hough and the rest of their costars playing the Pink Ladies in Grease: Live are taking their roles very seriously—so seriously, in fact, that they've begun to have Monday movie nights, go out to lunch together, and they even braid each other's hair.
Sure, they're having six days a week of intense rehearsals for their live production of the iconic musical, but they've also found time for some hardcore bonding, the women of the cast dish to E! News on Fox's Television Critics Association winter press tour red carpet.
"We have typical boy talk and we braid each other's hair," confesses Kether Donohue, who plays Jan.
Says movie night host Hudgens, "It's been so much fun. I think that everyone who is involved is a really talented artist and also an extremely good person, so you add the two together and it's just heavenly. They're just really amazing people. I love hanging out with the girls and just being goofs."
Carly Rae Jepsen, a.k.a. beauty school dropout Frenchy, describes it as "an adult summer camp," where "you just surround yourself with very like-minded people who are very passionate about putting on a project well. You just get to dig into a whole different world."
And even when they try to explain their experiences to their family members, they aren't able to truly convey the fun they're having. Says Keke Palmer (a.k.a. Marty), "We all feel the same and we're all experiencing this together."
In fact, Hough hopes she and her castmates can become lifelong friends, like some of the original movie's cast members still are. "We all feel so grateful to be here that we're all really vulnerable and really open, so we're all just connecting on a real, raw level," she says.
Grease: Live airs Sunday, Jan. 31 at 7 p.m. on Fox.