Olivia Newton-John’s near-romance with John Travolta was deterred by Scientology, new biography claims

Marina WattsWed, May 13, 2026 at 4:07 PM UTC

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Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta in Beverly Hills in August 2018
Credit: Alberto E. Rodriguez/GettyKey Points -

Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta's romance never fully came to be because of his ties to Scientology.

The actors appeared in the beloved movie musical Grease in 1978 as good girl Sandy Olsson and bad boy Danny Zuko.

A Little More Love: The Life and Legacy of Olivia Newton-John is out on May 14.

Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta's near-romance never came to be.

Matthew Hild claims in his new biography, A Little More Love: The Life and Legacy of Olivia Newton-John, that the Greasecostars' romance might have been thwarted by Scientology, which Entertainment Weekly's sister publication, PEOPLE, shared in an excerpt.

Newton-John, who died in 2022, realized that if she and Travolta were to ever tie the knot, converting to the religion would be highly recommended.

Years after Grease was filmed, Newton-John's band had a musician join who was married to a Scientologist. Newton-John asked the musician about their marriage and beliefs. Per Hild's book, the bandmate recalled the former costars being "very, very close. Almost that close.”

“I know the Church of Scientology really reveres him as a very valuable follower,” Newton-John asked her bandmate, referring to Travolta, Hild writes. “If I had married John, would he have expected me to become a Scientologist?”

Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta in 'Grease'
Credit: Paramount Pictures/Fotos International/Getty

“It would not have been mandatory, but it would have been encouraged, put it that way," the bandmate responded, per the biography. Newton-John thanked her bandmate, adding, “That’s all I want to know.”

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Newton-John was married to actor Matt Lattanzi from 1984 to 1996. In 2008, she married John Easterling, who remained her husband until her death. Travolta, meanwhile, was married to Kelly Preston from 1991 until she died in 2020.

Travolta and Newton-John's chemistry as Danny and Sandy was evident to their costars. Their Grease costar Didi Conn, who played Frenchy, told Fox News in 2018 that she thought there was a genuine attraction between the actors that went beyond their characters.

After she died, Travolta posted a tribute to his Newton-John on Instagram, signing off as "Your Danny," his beloved Grease bad boy character. "My dearest Olivia, you made all of our lives so much better. Your impact was incredible. I love you so much. We will see you down the road and we will all be together again. Yours from the first moment I saw you and forever!" he wrote. "Your Danny, your John!"

Months later, Travolta paid tribute to Newton-John during the In Memoriam segment at the 2023 Oscars, calling back to the Oscar-nominated Grease song "Hopelessly Devoted to You." "They touched our hearts, they made us smile and became dear friends," he said of those who died that year before adding the emotional kicker, "who we will always remain hopelessly devoted to."

'A Little More Love: Olivia Newton John' by Matthew Hild
Credit: Bloomsbury Publishing

A Little More Love: The Life and Legacy of Olivia Newton-Johncomes out on Thursday, May 14. It is available for preorder wherever books are sold.

on Entertainment Weekly

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