Why Olivia Newton-John gave her blessing for Lifetime biopic

Australian singer Delta Goodrem, who plays Olivia Newton-John in Saturday night’s Lifetime movie, was just a child when she first met the “Grease” star.

“I actually met her first [in 1991] when I was 7 years old in New York,” says Goodrem, 34. “I was with my mom [and] we were having hot chocolate after seeing ‘The Phantom of the Opera.’ I saw Olivia walk in [the cafe] and I said to my mom, ‘Sandy’s there!’ Olivia heard my Australian accent and came over … In that moment, little did she know we’d be part of each other’s lives.”

Airing Saturday at 8 p.m., “Olivia Newton-John: Hopelessly Devoted To You” chronicles the now-70-year-old singer and actress’s life, highlighting career moments such as her rise to fame with “Grease” in 1978, the mixed reception to “Xanadu” in 1980 and her battle with breast cancer.

“Hopelessly Devoted to You” first aired as a miniseries in Australia; it’s been condensed by Lifetime into a two-hour movie.

For a biopic of a famous singer, the soundtrack is important and Goodrem — who’s also spent the past eight years as a coach on the Australian version of “The Voice” — recorded her own versions of Newton-John songs such as “Physical” for the soundtrack. Goodrem even did a duet with Newton-John herself.

“I chose ‘Love Is a Gift’ to sing with Olivia,” she says. “She was so kind to do the duet with me. A really important part of playing Olivia was doing the whole soundtrack and staying true to the original. I just wanted to really stick to the way it was [done] classically and just bring my heart and soul to it.”

Aside from their duet for the film and their first fateful meeting when Goodrem was 7, Newton-John has been part of Goodrem’s life for many years, in part because they have an important shared experience: a battle with cancer.

Goodrem was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 2003, when she had just released her hit debut album, “Innocent Eyes.”

“I was 18 years old and started to have hits of my own in my home country and .. I got diagnosed with cancer,” she says. “Olivia Newton-John sent me a beautiful letter about how, ‘One day you’ll see this as a gift to be able to give back.’ And I did. I went and fought and came out the other side as a survivor and there’s a beautiful bond [between Olivia and I].”

Because Goodrem considers Newton-John a friend, and she’s also been her fan for most of her life, she says making the biopic was an emotional experience.

“Of course my loyalty at all times is to Olivia, being a dear friend and a mentor in my life. We spoke extensively about it … and she said, ‘I support you doing this and I want you to do it.’ And I said, ‘I’ll take it with great care.’ I feel so protective over her and our friendship, so I was really excited to get to do it. It was quite emotional.”

Goodrem also says that first encounter with Newton-John in New York all those years ago has shaped how she interacts with her own fans today.

“In Australia now when I see young ones say my name … I always walk over to the table,” she says, “because I always think of how I loved how Olivia walked over to us.”

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