Where's Donna Mills now? 'Knots Landing' star says she was the 'original Sandy' in 'Grease'
The 1978 iconic cult musical ‘Grease’ and the characters Danny, played by John Travolta, and Sandy, essayed by Olivia Newton-John, have been a part of everyone’s childhood. And now, Donna Mills has left her fans stunned with a secret revelation. The actress took to her Instagram to claim that she was the inspiration behind the iconic character of Sandy in the movie.
The ‘Knots Landing’ alum and Emmy award-winning star dropped a video of herself wherein she is dressed in two versions of the main protagonist Sandy of 'Grease'. In the first appearance, Mills, as a demure Sandy, is seen effortlessly rocking in a pink and white sweater and a pearl neckpiece, while in the other, she slays in a black leather jacket as hot Sandy from the movie. Going by the video, there's no second thought that the 81-year-old has not aged a bit since her days as Abby on 'Knots Landing' series (1980-1993).
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The video has a witty caption that reads, “Does the character Sandy from Grease look similar to me? Here's why!”. She further surprised her fans and followers in the video by revealing that she had gone to school with Jim Jacobs, who co-wrote the 1971 musical of the same name on which the iconic 1978 film was based. Donna also added, “He used me as his model for Sandy. I didn't know it at the time, but I found out years later: I was the original Sandy”.
Where is Donna Mills now?
Mills is gearing up for her next big project 'Nope', which will release in July 2022. Talking about making her comeback in films, Mills told in an interview with Tamron Hall, "I had to sign an NDA, I couldn't even say I was in the film for months and months and months... I can not say anything about what it's about. But it's really good!"
Mills became a first-time mom when she adopted her infant daughter Chloe at the age of 54. The actress, who continued to appear on television and in guest appearances after leaving 'Knots Landing', stated that she took an 18-year break from acting full-time to focus on raising her then-4-year-old Chloe. In a recent interview at the Tamron Hall Show, she said, “I didn’t think that having a kid in the 50’s was anything selfish. But it was quite opposite as now I’d have time to devote to a child. I had done things that I wanted to do so I knew that I had a lot that I wanted to give to a child. I was jealous when a kid used to run up to her mom and say ‘mommy, mommy’. I knew my life wasn’t going to be complete until I had a child in it”.
How 'Grease' was created?
According to Buffalo News interview dated March 2010, ‘Grease’ musical creator Jim Jacobs opened up on how ‘Grease’ was created. He said, “We're sitting around in my apartment in like 69, and it was some cast party of a show. Around 1 in the morning, there were still a few old potheads laying around, passed out on the floor," he said. "I was sick and tired of listening to Led Zeppelin or whatever the hell I had on the record player, and I dug out some of my old 45s. That's the humble beginnings of it. I was playing Dion and the Belmonts, Little Richard and the Five Satins, and I said to late co-writer Warren Casey, Man, wouldn't that be a gas to do a Broadway show using this kind of music instead of that traditional Brigadoon, Oklahoma stuff that we all know?”.
Jim Jacobs ‘Grease’ musical has been adapted on the screens tons of times but most famously in that John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John film. Next, according to Paramount+ network, the highly awaited prequel ‘Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies’ may hit screens later this year.
