Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta: The story of their special friendship
John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John were the couple of the moment with their roles as Danny and Sandy in ‘Grease’, but did they ever have a relationship?
Playing Sandy and Danny, Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta carved out a place in the hearts of millions after starring in the iconic 1978 musical ‘Grease.’
The two developed a close relationship during filming, and after the announcement of Newton-John’s death, Travolta was one of the first major stars to share his condolences and grief online.
Meeting on the set of ‘Grease’
While there had been some fan speculation that a romantic relationship had developed between John and Olivia when filming ‘Grease,’ these rumors were put to rest in 2018.
In 2018, on the No Filter podcast, Newton-John discussed their relationship, during which she said was more like a “sister” to John than anything else.
Newton-John also mentioned that she thought the fact that they never crossed into romantic territory “kept the tension and the chemistry,” between them alive during filming. She added that an off-screen romance “could have been a real disaster if we had decided to go out or had a fight or something like that.”
“So I think it was better that it didn’t happen. But we are still great friends.”
Additionally, at the time of filming ONJ was dating Hollywood insider and talent manager Lee Kramer. Travolta was recovering from the loss of his girlfriend, Diana Hyland, who died from breast cancer in 1977. Sadly, Travolta’s wife Kelly Preston also passed away from breast cancer in July 2020 after battling the disease for two years.
After Preston’s passing, Newton-John spoke publicly about her saying “She was a very beautiful person, inside and out, and was beautiful to look at,” also adding that “she had a gentle spirit and I just feel so, so much for John and the children.” These comments came as the actress herself was fighting her third bout of breast cancer.
Friends for life... even decades later
In August 2019, the Pulp Fiction actor spoke of his and Olivia’s friendship over the years. According to Travolta, who gave an exclusive interview to US Weekly, he said the two used to text “all the time.”
The interview came after the two had just spent time together, with Travolta commenting that he used to visit her on set at her show where they would “go backstage and hang out, and I watch the show and all that.”
“If I go to see her personally, we usually have dinner and catch up,” he added.
In December 2019, Travolta and Newton-John took to the stage as Danny and Sandy together for the first time in over forty years. The event to celebrate the multi-decade success that is ‘Grease.’ Sadly, that pre-pandemic preformance will represent the last time the two ever return to these characters.