Julianne Hough feels she has big shoes to fill by playing Sandy in Fox's production of Grease: Live, but the role also fulfills a lifelong dream.
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"Grease was the first movie that I saw that I realized you could sing and dance and act all in the same movie," the Dancing with the Stars judge told People.
Although she's under a lot of pressure, Hough has found a little relief in the fact Olivia Newton-John, who starred as Sandy with John Travolta as Danny in the 1978 film adaptation of "Grease" the musical, is going to be cheering her on.
"It's huge that I got her blessing," Hough, 27, noted.
The two ladies spoke about the upcoming live Fox production when Newton-John, 67, appeared on Dancing with the Stars as a guest judge back in October.
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"She's exactly who you hope she would be -- so awesome and supportive," Hough said of meeting the Australian actress.
Hough wants to make Newton-John proud but isn't going to try to imitate her performance.
While Hough will honor Newton-John's inflection for famous lines in the movie such as, "Tell me about it, stud," as to not disappoint fans, she'll be doing her "own thing" for "the most part," according to People.
The cast of Grease: Live also includes actor Aaron Tveit playing Danny, Season 21 DWTS semifinalist Carlos PenaVega playing Kenickie, actress Vanessa Hudgens taking on the role of Rizzo, and singer Carly Rae Jepsen as Frenchy.
Grease: Live airs Sunday, January 31 at 7PM ET/PT on Fox. For a sneak-peek of how rehearsals are going, click here.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski