Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta as Sandy and Danny in 1978's “Grease.” Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta were a couple only when they appeared together on the big screen. But their platonic love for each other endured long after they played Sandy and Danny in the hit 1978 movie “Grease.”
Did Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta like each other?
'Grease' Costars Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta's Friendship Through the Years. Danny and Sandy forever. Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta were friends for more than four decades before she passed away at the age of 73.
John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John met through their roles as Danny Zuko and Sandy Olsson in "Grease," but their real-life friendship went far beyond the hit 1978 musical film. The costars continued to remain close in the years that followed the movie's release.
Did John Travolta choose Olivia Newton-John for Grease?
"John [Travolta] was set before anybody else was even attached to the movie," casting director Joel Thurm told Fox News Digital about the 1978 musical. "Paramount figured that they could do 'Grease' if John was in it. That was a given." "John really wanted Olivia for the role of Sandy," Thurm shared.
Why didn't John Travolta go to Olivia Newton-John's funeral?
'Travolta's close relationship with Olivia, which he talked about publicly and often, may not have sat well with her husband,' alleged an insider. Easterling was said to be uncomfortable with Travolta's loving tributes to Olivia after her death, which he shared to social media.
Grease: John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John Reflect on THAT Finale Reveal | rETro
Who went to Olivia Newton-John's funeral?
A host of international stars and dignitaries paid tribute to the late Australian star Olivia Newton-John in at a state memorial service in Melbourne on Sunday. Thousands gathered at Hamer Hall and video tributes came from Elton John, Hugh Jackman, Dolly Parton, Pink, Barry Gibb and Mariah Carey.
Did John Travolta and Olivia Newton John sleep together?
They were the subject of persistent romance rumors after they steamed up screens in 1978's “Grease.” But Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta never got physical while filming the movie musical, and instead went on to share a 44-year friendship that remained strictly platonic.
Casting Sandy would prove trickier. Director Randal Kleiser saw rushes from a new film his old college buddy George Lucas was making, titled Star Wars, to see if its female lead, Carrie Fisher, could be a fit. She wasn't. Marie Osmond (left) and Carrie Fisher (right) were both considered for Olivia Newton-John's Sandy.
Henry Winkler's "Happy Days" character, Fonzie, basically was Danny Zuko, so he was a natural first thought for the film. But Winkler had been playing the ABC role for a decade, so he passed on "Grease."
As the world mourns the passing of the Grease icon, who died this week aged 73, in exclusive extracts from her autobiography, the late Dame Olivia tells how she initially turned down the role of Sandy – and how close she and Travolta came to being a couple off-screen . . .
Henry Winkler says fears of being typecast prompted him to turn down the lead role in 1978's "Grease." "I was dumb," Winkler told People magazine in this week's issue. "I spent so much energy, so much time … I spent so many sleepless nights thinking, 'How do I not get typecast?
Where the story diverges is when Sandy sings the “Sanda Dee (Reprise).” In that particular musical moment, Sandy sings “Goodbye to Sandra Dee,” while at Thunder Road. That goodbye, the theory suggests, isn't just saying goodbye to Sandy's old life, but to life as a whole.
The "Grease" sequel had a bad girl and good boy meeting and going against the high school social hierarchy, opposite of the first film. That would have been fine, if both of the characters had been willing to change for each other, as Danny and Sandy both were. But they weren't, and none of this movie made much sense.
Signing his tribute as “Your Danny, your John!”, the actor told Newton-John that he was was “yours from the first moment I saw you”. While the pair never officially dated, the pair have made no secret of their feelings for one another.
John Travolta, who starred as Danny Zuko in Grease, famously stood out as younger than much of the rest of Grease's principal cast during filming in summer 1977 at age 23.
'Yes, we really liked each other and there was an attraction, but we would never date because we were both involved with other people at the time and both of us have a loyalty streak that runs deep." Travolta, as quoted by the Daily Mail, also recalled: "It almost happened between us a few times, but it didn't.
"Greased Lightnin'" is a song from the 1971 musical Grease which was also adapted into the 1978 film Grease. A soundtrack recording from the film version, with John Travolta on lead vocals, peaked at No. 47 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1978.
Henry Winkler missed out on some serious greased lightning in a bottle. In an interview with CNN's Chris Wallace that aired over the weekend, the 77-year-old actor said he was offered the role of Danny Zuko in 1978's musical film Grease, which would go on to help cement John Travolta's icon status in Hollywood.
Yes, the first actor offered the role of Danny in 'Grease' was none other than Henry Winkler - best known as The Fonz in 1950s-set sitcom 'Happy Days' - whilst one of the actresses in contention for Sandy was Carrie Fisher, who became a superstar later that year in 'Star Wars.
Marie Osmond's brother and duet partner Donny Osmond was another potential Teen Angel before Avalon was cast, as was Frankie Valli, who had been given the choice of either singing the theme or appearing as the Teen Angel (he chose the former).
According to Vanity Fair, Henry Winkler of Happy Days fame was offered the lead role of Danny Zuko and Travolta only stepped in after Winkler turned down the opportunity. Producer Allan Carr selected a porn star to portray Coach Calhoun until the studio objected (Sid Caesar ended up in the role).
Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta were a couple only when they appeared together on the big screen. But their platonic love for each other endured long after they played Sandy and Danny in the hit 1978 movie “Grease.”
Grease was shot in various locations across the Los Angeles area, from the lively South Bay to the charming Silverlake neighborhood. Much of the production was filmed on-site, including exterior shots of Rydell High, taken at Venice High School, Huntington Park High School, and John Marshall High School.
Frenchy was played by Didi Conn, who was 26 while filming during the summer of 1977. Conn had appeared in multiple TV shows and movies before hitting it big with "Grease."
