Due Come Noi - Ragazza

Translation from Italian:

TWO AS ONE. The Travolta/Newton-John duo, already successfully tested in Grease, is back again. This time, after a period of separation, the two are trying their hand at a non-musical film, which is a bit of a fairy tale full of good feelings. Gossips are already whispering that, for the occasion, feelings have also blossomed between John and Olivia...

Five years ago, John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John broke up rather rudely. They had filmed Grease together, and they seemed to be in good spirits, but at the end of the film, harsh words were exchanged. Especially on Olivia's part, who publicly questioned the virility of her famous partner, who, in turn, apparently in an interview claimed Olivia had said that she was a few years younger than she actually was (or was claiming to be...).

The fact is that in these five years, except for rare occasions, they had not had the opportunity to meet or talk (or gossip) about each other.

Now, however, here they are together again in Two of a Kind, which in Italy is released with the title Two like us,/q>, directed by John Herzfeld who makes his directorial debut, with love and harmony, like in the good old days.

What is the film? Let's see it together. Up there, in the highest heavens, E.S. - that is, the Supreme Being - has made a necessary and irrevocable decision - to rain down a second Flood on Earth to purify the inhabitants of this planet, now irremediably corrupt. A host of Guardian Angels are working to avoid the rather drastic punishment for the men (and women). And their leader, Archangel Charlie, comes up with an idea: to subject two of their guardians to a kind of test that will allow them to verify whether the human race really has no chance to continue living with dignity...

The miscellaneous for this experiment are Zack, a penniless but ambitiously selfish self-proclaimed inventor; and Debbie, a bank teller and aspiring actress, a sincere and frank type but perhaps a little too impulsive.

The two young people met in a singular circumstance to say the least and fell madly in love. If they can now demonstrate to E.S. that they are capable of mutual sacrifice, perhaps humanity will be spared. But beware: the Guardian Angels have only one week to carry out their plan and there is Bearzey (the Devil) always ready to take advantage of situations. Will Zack and Debbie manage to save themselves and, with them, save all of us?

A funny little story, also full of good feelings. People, after all, are tired of violence and anger, destruction and fear. Two Like Us, therefore, may find favor with a wider audience than just young people, who are attracted above all by the presence of two stars like John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John.

As for the two performers, it must be said right away that for the general public they represent the perfect couple: he, 29, she, 33 (or 35? Ouch!), are a combination of smiles, love (and money), even if they are completely different.

John, the son of Sicilian origins, stopped studying at 14 and learned what he learned in dance halls and billiards; Olivia, raised in the luxury of Californian families, is the sophisticated granddaughter of none other than a Nobel Prize winner (Max Born). And yet, when they look at each other, smile, or kiss, the viewer goes into ecstasy (and the box office lands).

It really seems that it was business (as they say to Americans) that pushed both of them to swallow their old grudge and get back together on a set again. Even if there are those who say that, instead, there is something tender between the two. To support this hypothesis, he emphasizes that he has announced that he no longer wants to marry Marilu Henner, the woman he has been dating for a long time (and who recently followed him to Italy), while Olivia has left Matt Lattanzi, the twenty-year-old dancer she met when she was filming Xanadu.

By Tonino Scaroni

OLIVIA - They'd described him to me as a temperamental, self-important guy. But when I met him, I discovered he was a true artist, a true professional. He had one major flaw: he was shy. We became friends by exchanging advice.

OLIVIA: Many people think I was born, artistically speaking, with the success of the movie Grease. The truth is that when I shot that film, I had already had a career spanning more than ten years and had sold several million records.

The Interview

Olivia, what do you think of John Travolta?

Olivia - What you might think of a great friend and workmate. We like each other, and it shows on screen too. John and I have a real affinity, and when we act together, we complement each other. He has the gift of making me feel completely at ease, and everything becomes so natural that it doesn't even feel like I'm acting.

It's been a while since you two heard from each other. How did you find each other again?

Olivia - Our careers separated us, but in reality, we've always followed each other. We wanted to get back together, but after Grease, we never found the right opportunity, also because we didn't want to fall back into musical comedy. Then, one day, John said to me: You have twenty-four hours to decide...

Travolta, what do you think of Olivia?

John T - Olivia and I have always been available to each other. While we were working we weren't just interested in the scenes we acted in together, but we also exchanged tips and suggestions for the ones we had to do separately. Being back together means a lot to both of us; we're a winning combination. After Urban Cowboy and Blowout, I won't deny it, I'd lost a lot of my audience. My friend Sylvester Stallone got me back on my feet by making me do Staying Alive. We fought on set, but I owe him a lot.

Is it true that you've decided not to marry Marilu Henner, who's being like your shadow?

John T - It's true that I'm not ready for marriage. I have too many other things on my mind.

Why, after the success of Staying Alive, in which you returned as Tony Manero, and with success, did you decide to make a non-musical film like this?

John T - Because it's about love and sincerity. It almost seems like a fairy tale to me, and I, as everyone knows, am an incurable romantic. And then, I repeat, getting back together with Olivia gave me energy: she's my ideal partner.

How did the film do in America?

John T - The audience was enthusiastic... But not so the critics, it seems... Things happen. But with all due respect to the critics, who have often expressed themselves negatively towards me (and they were right), this time, at least in terms of box office, they were wrong!

Is it true that you're writing a book?

John T - I've almost finished it and it will be released in America soon.

What is it about?

John T - I had fun talking about the methods I used to get in shape when I had to tackle the character of Tony Manero again. I was perfect, but you should know how hard it was!

Interview by Tonino Scaroni