Franceschi was only 16 when she was cast in
Grease (1978). She remembers that the choreographer,
Patricia Birch, had just singled her out for attention at the audition when an assistant director announced: "Anyone under 18, leave now." Franceschi recalls that she "just kept dancing." She ultimately got the part, but had to obtain a fake birth certificate in order to fool the studio's legal department.