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Didi Conn Used Improv to Soothe Olivia Newton-John's First Day Jitters on the Grease Set (Exclusive)

• Didi Conn opens up to PEOPLE about filming Grease and forging a friendship with Olivia Newton-John

When Olivia Newton-John brought Sandy’s first day jitters to life, she was experiencing her own.

Didi Conn, who played Sandy’s friend in the beloved 1978 film Grease, opens up to PEOPLE exclusively about working with Newton-John, who died in 2022 at age 73. Conn, 74, says that on their first day on set, Newton-John, who had found success as a singer but had limited acting experience, was anxious.

“The first scene in the movie was her scene of walking onto the campus of Rydell with Frenchy, and she was nervous,” Conn says. Part of her concern was that she was older than John Travolta, who starred as Danny Zuko, but Conn didn’t think she had to worry. “They did a screen test, and if you ever see that, she's so beautiful, she just looked exactly 'teenager,' ” she says.

How Didi Conn Soothed Olivia Newton-John's on Grease's First Day