The Risqué Way to Get Physical - Video The Magazine

Out is the cutesy-pie image. In is a raunchy, foxy look. The days when Olivia Neutron-Bomb looked like a latter-day Doris Day clone are way past. What's caused the metamorphosis? Some say it's young Matt Lattanzi, her new live-in companion. Livvy says it's confidence and self-knowledge. Toni Miller finds out.

I would hate to be thought of as tarty! declares Olivia Newton-John (who pronounces it in the flat nasal Australian way: tardy). Come off it! As if she could ever be classed as such.

Olivia, bless her, was discussing her latest foxy image, originally glimpsed in Grease when she back-combed her hair and squeezed into snake-tight trousers, and followed through with the tantalising Let's Get Physical single and video.

Understandably, Miss Newton-John wanted to get as far away as possible from the ubiquitous cutsey pie image while staying on the right side of respectability. In short Miss ONJ, 34 going on 15, wanted to grow up, and to look a little bit worldly-wise. Raunchy.

The Physical single told of a woman's sexual feelings, while the video, in Aussie lingo, was, a beaut, showing Little Livvy suggestively working out in a gym with scantily-clad men.

Her Totally Hot album heralded a change of style from that of a demure country and western crooner to a rollicking rock and roller comparable to that of female rock singer Pat Benatar. Olivia cut off her flick-up locks, even let the roots of her get a little dark, changed the wide schoolgirl grin to a pout and became naughty but nice.

'Grease' made me more aware that I could be a little bit more... risqué-looking, if I wanted to. It's fun to be thought of as something different, to put on a different look when I feel like it. I enjoy the feeling and to know that I'm not afraid to try something new, to have the confidence to experiment with other images.

I think it is because I know myself a lot better now that I can be whatever I want to be. I never ever tried to perpetuate that 'butter-wouldn't-melt-in-the-mouth thing. Yet its odd because I get letters from people who say it's a shame I've lost my innocence!

Not that Miss Newton-John is anywhere near to being tardy as she is still regarded by many (much to her chagrin) as being more suited to pretty peachy girl-next door parts than as an intense Chekhov heroine. Yet Olivia dearly wants to try more heavyweight roles in the future rather than becoming a future in the big commercial flousy glossies such as Grease.

She declined to star in the sequel to Grease (which had two unknown actors to replace herself and John Travolta, and it was subsequently a box-office flop), hut she has said, with great enthusiasm many times, how she would love to work with Travolta again, maybe in something straight and contemporary.

She has the unenviable distinction of starring in one of the worst and silliest musicals of all tune, namely Xanadu (saved from complete oblivion only by ELO's memorable soundtrack), which got poor Gene Kelly out of semi-retirement, where, one can only presume, he wished he'd stayed.

The terrible experience hasn't put her off movies or vice versa, although clearly she does not like to discuss it, as if forgetting its very existence may make it go away. One good thing at least to have come out of Xanadu is Olivia's current relationship, which some say is destined for marriage. She met Matt Lattanzi, a Botticelli-like 23 year old stand in for her Xanadu co-star Michael Beck.

As their friendship blossomed on the set into luncheons à deux he finally moved into her Malibu ranch after a courtship (the real old-fashioned kind) of three months. Just like a Barbara Cartland romance!

And friends hope, because Olivia would dearly love to settle down, that like the author's fictional love affairs, this too will end happily ever after.

Lattanzi, 10 years her junior (when I was 12 he was only two years old!) whose career has noticeably progressed since first they met (he appeared as Jackie Bisset's young lover in Rich And Famous. Talk about art imitating life), feels that he has been partly responsible for the positive changes that have taken place in Olivia.

She is not white bread any more, he said recently. I think I've brought out the female animal in her...

Olivia may purr seductively in reply, but true enough, friends have witnessed a transformation in her personality since being with Lattanzi. She is reputedly happier than she's been for some time. Her love life, though nowhere near as volatile or scandalous as others, has been the cause of pain in Newton-John's life. She was engaged to Bruce Welch of the Shadows when she lived in England, and suddenly, inexplicably, she broke it off shortly before she left for America to begin her career there.

The other big love in her life was her boyfriend-manager Lee Kramer, but that too fizzled out even though they were on the threshold of marriage.

She readily admits that committing herself to someone is a frightening proposition: My parents' divorce has left its mark, I'm probably over-cautious where marriage is concerned. But I've seen so many happy marriages ending in divorce, and the children, particularly, suffer when their parents split, it's a bitter, terrible time for all concerned when it goes wrong. That's why I've got to be doubly sure I'll be doing the right thing...

Right now her career is in overdrive and, moving from England to California she acknowledges gratefully, was one of the wisest choices she has ever made. I never thought all this could happen, I thought I would just remain a singer enjoying moderate success and then wham everything happened to me so fast, even offers of movies. I never dreamed I'd get the chance to act in movies, in Hollywood, it was just incredible...

She began her career somewhat shakily, however, as the pretty face in a pop trio called Toomorrow, who had come from Australia to seek fame and fortune in London, but all they seemingly inspired was a number of doors being closed in their attractive faces. The group disbanded, but Olivia, with those limpid blue-green eyes and sunny nature captivated Britain as a solo artiste and she became something of a celebrity here, appearing on many television specials and working with Cliff Richard and the Shadows.

It was as a country and western singer that she made her mark on the chart, and was especially successful with American record buyers. It was rumoured that all those blousey, bewigged Nashville ladies were most put out that this wispy Australian was being hailed as the First Lady Of Country by many C&W lovers and they were having to take a back seat.

I didn't exactly have the right kind of background for country, concurred Olivia, and I might have been considered an outsider by some performers so one can understand there may have been some animosity.

Hollywood, who love her healthy, wholesome looks, knowing her brand of prettiness would shine on the screen, polished her into an international star.

Today, Olivia Newton-John is one of the richest players in the entertainments industry, so forget about the worn old cliche, JUST a pretty face.

Yet, with all that, she is so level-headed; she has said in all honesty: When a camera's pointing in my direction I have to remind myself it's usually me they're photographing and not whatever's behind me.

It would come across as sickening if she wasn't so unaffected by her stardom and one of the least status-conscious people you could meet. After all, she has conceded she is ... just the kid from Down Under who made good. It could all end tomorrow and seem just like a dream...

Cutesy Olivia Newton-John is wiser than many about the transience of cinema stardom...

OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN LIVE, Olivia Newton-John, Embassy - Video release

90-minute special from her successful Physical tour of the States, her first live shows in five years.

Also features some of America's top musicians and special effects by Brian Grant to make this more imaginative than most concerts on video.