Koala Blue, Olivia's nostalgic boutique - Zongar Nieus

Translation from Dutch:

A handful of Hollywood celebrities are swimming in money and make their fans dizzy with their fabulous possessions and fantastic, easy-going lifestyles. Other celebrities, while not enjoying such princely luxury, can still afford a certain dream existence.

Most film people, however, struggle to make a decent living. Good roles are indeed hard to come by. You have to fight to stay afloat. Nothing is as precarious these days in the film mecca as being an actor or actress.

Not everyone is a star like Larry Hagman, Joan Collins, or Sylvester Stallone. On top of that, these stars still rake in a considerable amount of advertising revenue, and the rest of the extended Hollywood family can't afford to eat carefree from the crumbs that remain. That's why more and more film people are entering the everyday business world.

We'll take a few examples to demonstrate that this concern for a rainy day is noticeable both in front of and behind the camera. There's film director Francis Ford Coppola, among others. He's not just anyone. Well, he too is convinced that things could suddenly go much worse tomorrow or the day after with his film earnings. That's why he's invested a significant portion of his fortune in winemaking. In California's Napa Valley, he makes a locally prized wine, the Niebaum-Coppola, named after him and his partner Robert Niebaum.

In Search Of Stability

He says: One day, film success seems as imperishably strong as steel, but the next, it flows like water through your fingers. I want to be armed against it. My future must be stable. I can't live without that security.

Olivia Newton-John echoes this sentiment. With her friend Pat Farrar, she has opened an Australian boutique on Hollywood's Melrose Avenue. In this Koala Blue, as she calls the store. You can buy everything Australia has to offer in terms of goodies. The milk bar is especially flourishing.

And Pat and I were born in Australia, Olivia adds. We can't deny our birthplace; we're thrilled to have carved out a little corner of it here in the States. Business couldn't be better. We have to expand next year. For me personally, it's a safe bet for the future. What can I expect as a singer and actress? It could be more disappointing than it is. With the boutique, I now have a steady job. I can use the show as a good side hustle.

Just like Olivia Newton-John and Francis Ford Coppola, many other film people are now speaking. They want security of existence first and foremost. Can you blame them?

Photo capions: Top left: Olivia Newton-John with her friend Pat Farrar and her son.
Top: F.F. Coppola and his wife, who are naturally proud of their excellent wine (above)