Olivia Newton-John has broken her silence on the fan theory that has plagued her 1978 hit “Grease” for years.
The actress, who played Sandy in the musical, offered her thoughts this week on a long-standing and recently-resurfaced theory that her character was actually dead in the film.
“I laughed,” Newton-John recalled of hearing the story. “I thought it was hilarious. I thought it was also wonderful that people were still talking about it all these years later.”
After her initial chuckle, the actress said, she came to a realization.
“I thought, ‘If that’s the case, then we were the first zombie musical, and we look pretty good considering!'” Newton-John added during an interview for AOL.
The theory, which gained steam again last month, holds that Sandy essentially dies drowning — meaning John Travolta‘s character Danny didn’t save her, splashing around — and the rest of the film is essentially her coma dream. At the end, the perfect Sandra Dee ascends to heaven in the flying car.
Ultimately, the star deemed the theory “so far from reality.”
“It’s so far from reality because that’s not what it was, but I think it’s a hilarious theory,” she said.
Watch Newton-John discuss in the video.
9 Crazy Fan Theories About Classic Movies, From 'Grease' to 'The Wizard of Oz' (Photos)
There's something about old movies that provokes fans to reinterpret major plot points. Just consider the following ...
"Grease" The 1978 musical starred Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta as high-school lovers Sandy and Danny. But what if ... Sandy was DEAD through the whole thing? Sarah Michelle Gellar wrote a post expressing amazement at the fan theory.
"The Wizard of Oz" This one is really weird. According to a Usenet discussion group theory from the 1990s, Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" album pairs perfectly with the 1939 movie when both are played together simultaneously. The band's drummer later joked their album was really based on "The Sound of Music."
"Ferris Bueller's Day Off" The movie seems like harmless teenage escapism, but this theory has it that poor Ferris is actually a figment of the imagination of his tortured buddy, Cameron.
"The Karate Kid" Danny, played by Ralph Macchio, is supposedly the hero of this coming-of-age classic. But what if he was actually the bully who picked on fair-haired boy Johnny? Depends on your perspective!
"Little Mermaid" What if the sunken ship Ariel visits in this Disney classic was actually ....
"Frozen" ... the very same ship that sunk in THIS Disney movie, killing Elsa and Anna's parents and setting up the whole plot? Discuss.
"Mary Poppins" She might be a Time Lord, one of the extraterrestrial people from "Doctor Who." At least that's one of the more popular Reddit fan theories, which you can check out here.
"Harry Potter" franchise That Harry Potter sure does have an active social life. Or does he? What if he's really a warped mental patient? (Or alternatively, what if Voldemort was really ... Hitler?)
"Star Wars" Remember Obi-Wan Kenobi? It's possible, just possible, that he wasn't a wise man but merely a robot clone.
