Olivia Faces A Difficult Choice - Joepie

Photo caption: Friday, November 24 OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN Amsterdam, Jaap Edenhal (Editor - the Amsterdam concert was actually November 23 1978)

Translation:

I’d Love To Have Children, But I’m So Busy!

Olivia Newton-John didn’t become a superstar overnight. When she played it safe and settled in the States for good five years ago, she knew better than most that she would have to work hard to achieve her goal. So she did, and today she’s reaping the rewards of her labor.

Olivia: I've never felt as happy as I do now. The older I get, the more I enjoy life. You have more control over yourself. A few weeks ago, I celebrated my thirtieth birthday. Lots of older friends warned me about it beforehand. They told me, like, 'I stayed in bed all day, I was so depressed.' But I partied like never before; it was a beautiful day!

The only problem is that I really have to start thinking about having children now. Lee and I would love to have them, and we realize we can't wait too long. But on the other hand, we're so incredibly busy! After my European tour, I'm going back to Los Angeles and taking a few weeks off to think about everything. I've worked for fifteen years to achieve this success, you don't just give that up. And yet I want children. So it will be a difficult choice, although I think there is a compromise. At least I hope...

Thanks to her convincing film debut in 'Grease', Olivia is receiving offers from all sides. The first few weeks after filming Grease didn't look so great, says Olivia. No one seemed interested in me as a film actress. When the film started rolling, the offers started pouring in. I got the lead role in a movie about the life of Doris Day and also in the remake of 'Annie get your gun,' but most of all I'd like to play Evita in the film version that will be made soon.

I'm not deluding myself, though, because I've already heard that Barbra Streisand might get the part...

John Is A Great Guy

She can't stop talking about her Grease adventure. No wonder, considering that the film made her a world star. Until Grease, my success was limited to the States, says Olivia.

Now my records are sold all over the world, and that's thanks to Grease, of course. I can count myself lucky that I got John Travolta to star opposite me in my first film. He's a great guy, whatever anyone says about him. I had no acting experience. John did. He helped me in every possible way. One day we were shooting the final scene, and about halfway through, John made a mistake and had to reshoot everything. Before we started back, John confided in me that he had made that mistake on purpose, because he was sure I could do even better than what I had shown. Not many actors would have done that, I think...

In Love With Cliff?

Sandy Olsson, the girl Olivia plays in Grease, reminds her a bit of her own teenage years. When I was very young, I moved to Australia with my parents, she recalls. I was 17 when we got back came to England. At school, I was the odd one out because I had an Australian accent. The girl with the funny language, just like Sandy. But I got over that, and after a month, I was already best friends with all the girls...

Someone who is probably just as, if not more, dear to her than John Travolta is... Cliff Richard.

Cliff taught me the tricks of the trade, says Olivia. And I have to admit that as a young girl, like so many other girls, I had a bit of a crush on him. But he never took advantage of that. One day, he explained to me that he didn't want a committed relationship at that moment. And Cliff wasn't interested in an adventurous flirtation, I'm sure of that. I'm still good friends with him; whenever I'm in England, I still go see him. I know he's very happy with my success...