I don't own my success to John Travolta
Translation:
Olivia denies having achieved success solely thanks to John Travolta and recalls that, before appearing alongside him in “Grease,” she had been performing in the American entertainment industry for twelve years, selling some twenty-five million records.
Olivia began singing at sixteen, almost for fun, in Australia. She decided to become a singer after winning a competition whose first prize was a trip to England to participate in a TV show.
“Let’s get one thing straight: I’m not the latest arrival, a last-minute discovery. If anything, John Travolta is the latest to arrive. I’ve been in the entertainment world for twelve years and over the course of my career I’ve sold twenty-five million records: tell me if that’s not enough!”
This is how Olivia Newton-John begins when someone refers to her as the sidekick in Grease…
Olivia began singing at sixteen, almost for fun, in Australia, where her family had moved from England when her father was appointed rector of the University of Canberra. All the Newton-John family are geniuses: brothers and sisters with degrees and a grandfather, Max Born, who even won the Nobel Prize for physics.
She decided to become a singer almost by force, following the victory in a competition whose first prize included a trip to England to participate in a television show with Cliff Richard, then the number one English singer.
Let’s ask Olivia some questions.
To whom does she owe her success?: to herself or to a series of circumstances?
“Certainly to myself. Someone without talent, without a voice, doesn’t last long. But I must admit that much of the success I’m having now I owe to one person, Lee Kramer, a young industrialist. He was my first love. We fell in love in London and he decided, because he did everything himself, to launch me in a big way.”
Was it Lee who brought her to America?
“Yes, yes, he organized everything. He said England was getting too small for me. Apparently he was right… Not only that, but with a boldness all his own I threw myself into the fray of country music. In Nashville, the homeland of this musical genre, I achieved resounding success, leaving many native country singers behind. Since then I’ve never stopped. Who knows what Travolta was doing at the time? He certainly wasn’t an idol of the masses…”
So? Do you have a grudge against him
“No, don’t get me wrong. I don’t have a grudge against anyone. It just bothered me that everyone considered John a star and I was the little person who owed everything to him. I’m not talking about the United States, of course, where everyone knows who I was and who I am, but about the rest of the world. I’m just making it a matter of principle.”
But for this renewed success, you must have someone to thank?
“Certainly not John Travolta! I have to say thank you to the cinema and in particular to the producer of Grease, Robert Stigwood.
There was even talk of an affectionate friendship between John and her…
“Of course, an affectionate friendship: like two workmates who respect each other, but nothing more.”
Does Travolta deserve all the success he’s having, in your opinion?
“If he hasn’t sold his soul to the devil for this, yes… In fact, I hope he continues on this path. He hasn’t done anything wrong to me. It’s the newspapers that try to make us too friendly, or too hostile…”
Would you make another film with John?
“Certainly. And that’s not necessarily unlikely.”
What do you mean?
“I can’t say anything for now, because there’s nothing concrete. Let’s wait and see.”
Is she a happy woman?
“Yes, I think so. I have everything one could wish for: success, money, and love.”
The public ensures her success. And love?
“Dan Smith, the theatrical agent I’m currently with, will take care of that”.