Olivia Newton-John recalls 'terrible' career misstep in unearthed interview – and it almost cost her role in Grease
It's impossible to imagine anyone else as Sandy Olsson in Grease, but Olivia Newton-John wasn't always so sure the breakout role was for her.
In a resurfaced interview, the Australian legend told the story of why she wasn't sure if she wanted to be the one 'summer lovin'' alongside John Travolta as Danny Zuko in the beloved classic.
Watch Australia's Top Ten of Everything for free on 9Now.
Australia's Top Ten of Everything, which you can stream for free on 9Now, lists 10 interviews that captivated Australia – including when Newton-John made an appearance on Tonight with Bert Newton in 1984.
You can watch the interview in the video above.
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"I was really nervous about doing the film because I'd made a really bad one before that in England that I'm trying to forget," she said.
That film was Toomorrow, an ill-fated British science fiction musical released in 1970.
"It was really kind of yesterday but it was called Toomorrow, it was terrible," she joked.
Newton-John discussed her unconventional road to her role in Grease with host Bert Newton. Nine
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The film almost put her off entirely. In fact, between Toomorrow and Grease's release in 1978, Newton-John only starred in one other movie – a direct-to-television production called The Case.
She instead focused on her music career and was apprehensive about a return to screens.
"I said, 'If I do the screen test, I have to like myself and if I don't like myself I won't do the movie', so I was the one who was nervous in the screening room, not the producers," she explained.
Newton-John insisted on a screen test with Travolta, eventually nabbing the role of Sandy. AP
The star told host Newton Sandy was originally meant to be American, until she gave producers an ultimatum.
"I said, 'I'm sorry, but there's no way I could do it and be convincing, so if you want me for the movie I'm going to have to be an Australian', so they wrote it into the part," she said.
Sandy was rewritten to be a transfer student from Australia. Paramount Pictures
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The duo chatted about Newton-John's pride in being from Australia and what she loved most whenever she returned from Los Angeles.
During the resurfaced interview, Newton-John shared how she stayed humble despite her huge stardom and opened up about her true feelings about co-star Travolta.
You can see exactly what she said in full in the video below:
Watch Australia's Top Ten of Everything for free on 9Now.
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