Olivia and John taking success in hand
NEW YORK - Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta are skipping through the golden fields of stardom hand in hand, literally. At the trendy Westwood Marquis Hotel, where the celebrities wine, dine and come to be seen, they sat holding hands and discussing their careers.
They had just completed their latest film venture together, Two of a Kind. They did well as a team in Grease and were optimistic about Two of a Kind. They are supremely confident, glowing young people who permit themselves only a smidgeon of doubt about their futures.
“I had disappointments in my career along the way, but there was never a time when I considered quitting,” Newton-John said.
“My own career always seems to bring me much more than I expected,” Travolta said. “I learned a great deal along the way, and now I really do feel that I have it made.”
Travolta and Newton-John have discussed their careers frequently with each other and both are aware that popularity on stage, screen or television is about as substantial as smoke. “But we both say that if it all came to an end today, we’d realize that we gave it a good run,” Travolta said, and Newton-John nodded.
Both have been exposed on television. Travolta was Vinnie Barbarino on the ABC series Welcome Back, Kotter from 1975 to 1978. In 1976, on ABC, he starred in The Boy in the Plastic Bubble, with Glynnis O’Connor.
Newton-John has been the star of several specials, including Olivia and Olivia Newton-John Gets Physical. Her recordings are doing considerably better than very well and she has the knack of bouncing her recordings off her film and television careers, which boosts sales.
Travolta is the youngest of six children. He always had showbiz ambitions and was coached and encouraged by his mother. He left school when he was 16 and turned professional. “I think my first big break was in the touring company of Grease,” he said. “Before that, there were a few commercials.”
Newton-John is from Australia, the offspring of a distinguished family of academics. Her father is the principal of a college, and her grandfather, Max Born, won a Nobel Prize in physics. “I guess my earliest break was in winning a talent contest when I was 15,” she said. “The prize was a trip to England. I recorded If Not For You, which was written by Bob Dylan. After that, things came fast.”
They both accept their rankings now as superstars. They are accustomed to being sought after. “I must say that after I made the film Staying Alive, I really felt that my batting average had been very good,” Travolta said. “I’ve had a great career, but you never know what will happen.”
They are both expanding into enterprises other than singing and acting. Travolta has turned author. and is also promoting his own line of clothing. Newton-John has opened a boutique in Los Angeles which sells Australian imports.
Travolta is exploiting the rigorous exercise program which Sylvester Stallone insisted on when Travolta did the film Staying Alive. “So I have a book coming out in the spring,” he said. “It will be similar to Jane Fonda’s except it will be more concerned with weight lifting. I will also include dance movements which I did in Saturday Night Fever and Staying Alive.”
There are two new films in their immediate futures. Newton-John will do a film in Australia this year. Travolta will begin working on a film with Jeff Bridges which goes into production in February.
“That’s about as far as we’re looking right now”, Newton-John said, taking a fresh grip on Travolta’s hand.
By Gene Telpner