Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta never got physical while filming "Grease," and instead went on to share a 44-year friendship that remained platonic. They are pictured at left in 2020. The longtime pals are seen top right on the set of "Grease" in 1978, and bottom right in 1983.
Was John Travolta secretly in love with Olivia Newton-John?
Travolta and Newton-John have both spoken out about how they were hot for each in real life too. She also said in her autobiography Don't Stop Believin': "Yes, we really liked each other and there was an attraction." A passionate kiss at the film's after-party fuelled the rumours even more.
We left the making out to Sandy and Danny, but the deep feeling of sisterly love I have for John continues to this day," she writes, per The Sunday Post. Decades after they shot the film, Newton-John said "Grease" benefited from the fact that the actors never got together in real life.
What is the age difference between John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John?
Olivia Newton-John was five years older than John Travolta
He was born on February 18, 1954, according to his IMDb page, while Olivia Newton-John was 28 years old, having been born on September 26, 1948. Despite Travolta's youth, he was the more experienced on-screen performer.
Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta's romantic chemistry on set of Grease | 60 Minutes Australia
Who was the oldest Grease cast member?
The late Olivia Newton-John, who costarred as Sandy, was 29 at the time Grease was filmed; Stockard Channing, who played Rizzo, was the principal cast's oldest member at 33 during filming, according to a 2016 Vanity Fair article about the production.
Did Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta stay friends?
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. The actress and the Welcome Back, Kotter alum hit it off on the set of Grease, which hit theaters in 1978, portraying unlikely couple Danny Zuko and Sandy Olsson.
In a recently published oral history of Grease, Thurm, 80, has admitted the reason why a decision to cast older actors was made. “People might say the cast is too old, but Grease is not a documentary; it's a fantasy,” he told The Guardian. “It's a non-PC fairytale that is better for the cast not being teens.
"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.
Before the final scene, Sandy is only shown as a prim and proper person. She actively dislikes the macho masculine side of Danny Zuko and just wants the loving caring guy that she met during the summer. She changes herself to fit in.
Later, Danny takes Sandy to a drive-in movie. Danny tries to remove the class ring he is wearing to give it to her, but in doing so he accidentally elbows Sandy in the chest. Danny gives Sandy the ring and she kisses him on the cheek, saying she realizes now he respects her.
In 1980, Travolta dated French actress Catherine Deneuve. Travolta also had an on-again/off-again relationship with actress Marilu Henner, which ended permanently in 1985. In 1988 while filming The Experts, Travolta met actress Kelly Preston, whom he married in Paris in 1991.
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."
What was the message from John Travolta to Olivia Newton-John?
"My dearest Olivia, you made all of our lives so much better," he captioned a throwback photo of Newton-John. "Your impact was incredible. I love you so much. We will see you down the road and we will all be together again."
How old was John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever?
"In a star-making turn at the young age of 23, Travolta transforms his character's street swagger and self-assuredness, seemingly meritless at first view, into the stuff of legend each time he struts onto the dance floor and showcases his natural dancing ability," reads the auction listing for the suit.
The answer? Yes. John, now 64, sang alongside Olivia Newton-John and the rest of the cast in the iconic blockbuster. However, he wasn't always supposed to sing “Greased Lightnin'.” According to a recent article written by Variety, John stole the part from one of his co-stars.
As part of a three-picture deal with Stigwood, Travolta was given the lead role after Henry Winkler turned down the role for fear of being typecast as a greaser, having been playing the similar bad-boy greaser Arthur Fonzarelli on Happy Days since 1974. (Winkler would later regret the decision.)
Kirstie Alley and John Travolta were never romantically involved, but that wasn't how she initially wanted it. Alley, who died Monday at the age of 71 after a brief illness, often talked of her feelings for Travolta, whom she called the “greatest love” of her life.
While it's hard to imagine anyone else in the role of Sandy, Marie Osmond actually turned the gig down, according to Vanity Fair contributing editor, Michael Callahan. "She didn't foresee how big a turn Sandy was going to take at the end in that spandex outfit, and that just wasn't her image," Callahan told ET.
Following complications with his knee, Swayze sought out a lower-impact role. He auditioned for and won the part of Danny Zuko in Broadway's Grease, which had previously been played by John Travolta.
Osmond became the front-runner but dropped out in protest over Grease's ending and Carr turned to Olivia Newton-John instead. Rather than her be flattered, Newton-John was reluctant to commit because her musical career was going well and her film debut, Toomorrow, had tanked and she didn't want to make another flop.
Sources tell Woman's Day that Olivia's 70-year-old businessman husband and her musical co-star and close friend were rumoured to have had a tense relationship and "did not see eye to eye", which could have been the reasoning behind John's absence.
Why did John Travolta not speak at Olivia'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.
What was John Travolta's reaction to Olivia Newton-John's death?
"My dearest Olivia, you made all of our lives so much better," Travolta wrote in a post that included a photo of Newton-John. "Your impact was incredible. Love you so much. We will see you down the road and we will all be together again.
