"I Got Her Blessing!"Julianne Hough Reveals What Olivia Newton-John Really Thinks of Her Playing Sandy in ‘Grease: Live’

Updated: Oct 6, 2016 1:13 pm

By Julia Birkinbine

It seems Olivia Newton-John was happy to pass her Grease baton on to Julianne Hough!

"It's huge that I got her blessing," Julianne, 27, told People of playing Sandy in the upcoming Fox production Grease: Live.

olivia newton-john and julianne hough 'grease' — Getty Images; R/R

Olivia (left) and Julianne (right) as Sandy.

Last October, Julianne met Olivia — who portrayed Sandra Dee opposite John Travolta in the 1978 film version of the musical — when the 67-year-old actress guest-judged alongside her on an episode of Dancing with the Stars. "She's exactly who you hope she would be — so awesome and supportive," Julianne said of Olivia.

RELATED: Grease Stars Olivia Newton-John and Didi Conn Reunite to Sing "Summer Nights"!

And for Julianne, playing Sandy in Grease: Live — which is set to air on Sunday, Jan. 31 at 7 p.m. on Fox — is truly a dream come true! "Grease was the first movie that I saw that I realized you could sing and dance and act all in the same movie," she said.

Click through the gallery below to see the original Grease cast then and now!

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John Travolta (Danny Zuko)

Since singing "Greased Lightnin'" with the T-Birds, John has continued to have a successful career in both TV and film, most notably starring in Pulp Fiction, Ladder 49, and Hairspray.

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Olivia Newton-John (Sandy Olsson)

Following her role as Sandra Dee, the iconic singer continued to act, appearing in the 1980 film Xanadu and 1983's Two of a Kind, among other movies.

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Stockard Channing (Betty Rizzo)

Since Grease Stockard has starred as First Lady Abbey Bartlet on The West Wing and received an Academy Award nomination for her role in the 1993 film Six Degrees of Separation.

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Didi Conn (Frenchy)

Though she is most known for playing Frenchy, Didi has appeared on TV shows including The Practice, Benson, and Shining Time Station. The mom-of-one now works as a national celebrity spokesperson for Autism Speaks.

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Barry Pearl (Doody)

Until 2012, Barry's only film role was in Grease*, but he continued to work in showbiz as a children's theater and television actor. He most recently starred in the movie _The Newest Pledge and appeared on the TV series, Summer with Cimorelli.

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Kelly Ward (Roger "Putzie")

Since playing T-Bird Putzie, Kelly has shifted his focus to behind the camera, working as a director for Disney on popular shows including Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Jake and the Never Land Pirates.

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Jamie Donnelly (Jan)

Five years before she starred in Grease, Jamie landed the role of Jan in the Broadway version of the classic story. Later, the actress appeared in the original The Rocky Horror Show musical and continued to star in various Broadway plays.

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Michael Tucci (Sonny LaTierri)

In addition to Grease, the actor's acting credits include TV shows Barney Miller, Macgyver, and Diagnosis Murder. He also starred in the 2013 movie The Heat alongside Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock.

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Dinah Manoff (Marty Maraschino)

From 1977 to 1981, Dinah starred on the TV show Soap alongside Billy Crystal and appeared in both the stage and film adaptations of I Ought to Be in Pictures, for which she won a Tony Award.

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Jeff Conaway (Kenickie)

Jeff is most known for his role in Grease, as well as for appearing in popular TV series' Taxi and Babylon 5. After turning to reality television later in his career, the actor sadly passed away at age 60 from pneumonia in 2011.

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The End!