Olivia Forsakes Pop For Being A Mom
Olivia Newton-John discussed her career as she swayed on a wooden swing overlooking the Santa Monica Mountains behind her back yard.
She pondered the idea of future singing and acting projects, but also frequently mentioned the No. 1 priority in her life: her family. When her daughter, Chloe, was born in 1986 (two years after she married actor Matt Lattanzi), Newton-John freely gave up the life of a pop superstar, with “no regrets”.
“When I came home with Chloe, I suddenly realized that this child was the most precious thing in the world,” said Newton-John. “She totally changed my life and put everything into perspective. I laid back from working a lot and did less and less. I didn’t miss it. I was very fulfilled. I love being a mother,” she said.
Her daughter’s impact on her life indirectly led Newton-John to her television acting debut in “A Mom for Christmas,” to be presented at 9 p.m. tomorrow on “NBC Monday Night at the Movies.”
Because Chloe’s birth stirred her interest in protecting the planet, she agreed to talk to NBC about a possible environmental project.
A few days after that meeting, word spread at the network that she was considering television work, and she was contacted for the lead in “A Mom for Christmas.”
Although she never has had any formal dramatic training, Newton-John “read it and felt I could do it, like when you see an outfit and you know it will fit. (Of the scripts that came my way), this is the first one I really liked,” she said.
The modern-day fairy tale follows Amy (Newton-John), a mannequin who comes to life to satisfy the Christmas wish of Jessica (Juliet Sorcey), a girl whose mother died when she was young. When a magical woman (Doris Roberts) enables Amy to stay with Jessica for two weeks, the girl grows determined to keep her new mother forever, despite the fact that her workaholic father (Doug Sheehan) does not know her origin.
“It was a sweet Christmas story that my little girl could watch, and the character was very endearing,” Newton-John said. “She’s full of life and energy and had a real innocence about her. I remember when I was wide-eyed like that.”
Even at that time of naivete in her life, Newton-John wanted to sing. Born Sept. 26, 1948, in Cambridge, England, she and her family moved five years later to Australia, where she developed an interest in folk and country music. She left her hometown of Melbourne and went to London to develop her musical career in the mid-1960s.
After winning two Grammy awards in 1974, she sold more than 50 million records and starred in the hit movie musical “Grease,” with John Travolta. She referred to those career-oriented years as “another person, another life I led. What’s exciting about getting older is taking new directions.”
Newton-John embarked on another new endeavor when she opened an Australian speciality store, Koala Blue, in Los Angeles in 1984. She developed the idea because she “was homesick for Australia. (Pat Carroll and I) talked about it and then went there and got clothes and books and toys,” she said.
With no former business experience, the partners generated a chain of shops and a successful line of designer clothing. More than 50 stores later, Newton-John and Carroll run a multimillion-dollar worldwide corporation. Aside from her responsibilities at Koala Blue and her willingness to consider other acting roles, Newton-John frequently resurrects her musical roots. She released her 17th album, “Warm and Tender,” in October 1989. She plans to celebrate her 21st year of recording with an album in 1991 that will combine several old and a few new tracks.
“I’ll always want to sing,” she said. She said she doesn’t get the itch to go on the road to support an album, but “that doesn’t mean I won’t do it. Touring is as good a way as any to earn money. I did a concert recently, and I really enjoyed it. I was amazed by that.”
She currently spends her days in her country-style home, devoting attention to her boutique stores and her daughter. Newton-John said that although she is very content leading the life of wife and mother, she anticipates more singing and acting projects now that Chloe is out of the house every weekday morning. “This is her first year in preschool, so I’ll probably work more this year.”
By Diane Joy Moca