In the opening minutes of Olivia Newton-John: Hopelessly Devoted To You, Olivia (Delta Goodrem) is enthralled. She turns to her Grease co-star John Travolta (George Xanthis) and asks, “How did I get here?”
How indeed? This is the story of Olivia’s astonishing rise from the suburbs of Melbourne to international stardom.
“Olivia is an inspiration for generations,” Delta, 33, enthuses.
Delta plays Olivia Newton-John in the upcoming miniseries.
While the Aussie songstress plays the role of Olivia for much of the Channel Seven miniseries, it’s rising actress Morgan Griffin who portrays her from the ages of 16 to 22.
Morgan, 25, believes the series captures the honesty and warmth of Olivia, as well as the positive energy the superstar exudes to this day.
“I think she’s honest and always true to herself,” she tells TV WEEK. “She has this amazing energy, and is so creative and generous – I think that’s amazing.
“We all tried to capture that and I think we’ve done a great job.”
Morgan plays a young Olivia before Delta takes over.
Olivia’s story starts in Melbourne in the 1960s. The teenager is starting to get noticed thanks to singing on television. She often performed alongside her best friend to this day, Pat Carroll (Georgia Flood).
But on this occasion, she’s singing solo on talent show Sing, Sing, Sing. It’s a big opportunity for the youngster as she sings the classic, “Anyone Who Had A Heart”. Incredibly, Olivia takes out the TV competition.
The prize is the chance to cut a single with the famous Decca Records in London. Olivia is on her way.
Olivia and John as star-crossed lovers Sandy and Danny in Grease.
Morgan found it a thrill to play the young Olivia and to get to know more about the Aussie icon.
“I’m a really big fan, but I didn’t know a lot about the earlier stage of Olivia’s career,” she says.
“It was exciting to do all the research, learning about the music, her story and the wonderful period that was the 1960s.
“It was just a fun, light and positive energy on set. Olivia was a joy to play.”
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