It's been more than 40 years since the pair first met on the sets of hit movie "Grease" and yet, their friendship stands strong to this day.
Just as Danny and Sandy fired up screens during Grease, the actors who played them - John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John have nothing but platonic love for each other. And this friendship of theirs is just what Olivia needs as she fights cancer for the third time.
On August 22nd, as the 65-year-old actor walked the red carpet during the premiere for his new film The Fanatic, he was asked about Olivia, who has spent the past few years trying to battle cancer.
“She looks incredible,” John told Entertainment Tonight at the event. “She doesn’t look any different than [she did] years ago, and I’m very proud of her.” Smiling, he added, "I'm very happy about Olivia."
John and Olivia, 70, have been friends ever since they starred in Grease in 1974. It was the start of a beautiful journey as friends and they even shared the screen in the 1983 romance, Two of a Kind. Constantly bumping into each other, their fans' favorite meeting was when they reunited last August for Grease‘s 40th-anniversary screening where they hugged and posed together on the red carpet.
During the same summer, People Magazine held an interview with the two stars for their Grease! 40th-anniversary special edition issue wherein they discussed their long-lasting friendship. “When you share that kind of meteoric success—and nothing has been able to exceed it—you share a bond,” said John, adding that he still keeps in touch with Olivia. “I’ve been through her having a child, getting divorced, losing her sister. She’s been through my getting married, having children. It’s wonderful and full of shared memories.”
Adding her own two bits, Olivia said, “We did something life-changing, making that film. [At the premiere] you got the feeling from the energy that something was happening. It was a huge response. I feel grateful to be a part of that and to have worked with him. We’ve stayed friends ever since.”
This is the third time Olivia is being treated for stage four breast cancer. After winning the fight against it twice, it should have been easier. Instead, the cancer returned and this time, in May 2017, she was told that it had metastasized and spread to her bones. But despite that, she says that cancer has taught her to live every moment to the fullest.
Speaking to 60 Minutes Australia, she said, “I’m so lucky that I’ve been through this three times and I’m still here. I’m living with it. It’s just reinforced my gratitude. We know we’re gonna die at some point and we don’t know when it is. When you’re given a cancer diagnosis or a scary honest diagnosis, you’re suddenly given a possibility of a time limit. The truth is, you could get hit by a truck tomorrow. So every day is a gift, particularly now.”
References:
https://people.com/movies/people-celebrates-grease-40th-anniversary/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G09k8Dxn8ho
https://people.com/movies/john-travolta-very-proud-of-olivia-newton-john-cancer/
