Grease actress Olivia Newton-John has hit out at critics who slammed Grease for being "rapey" and "racist".
The 1978 hit movie, which also stars John Travolta, was shown on BBC One on Boxing Day 2020, but some modern day viewers were not happy.
The plot follows Olivia's character Sandy Olsson and her on-off romance with John's Danny Zuko, as they navigate high school and various friendships.
Some people tuning in on December 26 branded the iconic film "homophobic" when referring to the homecoming dance scene, in which no same-sex couples were allowed on the dance floor.
Other viewers claimed the scene where Danny and Sandy go to a drive-in was "rapey" after Danny "makes a move" on Sandy, and others felt the movie was "racist" for not featuring many black people.
However, 72-year-old Olivia was having none of it and was keen to defend the film against the new generation of viewers.
Speaking to the A Life of Greatness podcast this week, she said: "I think it’s kind of silly. I mean, this movie was made in the 1970s about the 1950s.
"It was a stage play, it’s a musical, it’s fun. It’s a fun movie musical and not to be taken so seriously."
She continued: "I think everyone is taking everything so seriously. We need to relax a little bit and just enjoy things for what they are.
"I didn’t see it like that at all, I think it’s a fun movie that entertains people. That’s all."
Loose Women star Brenda Edwards recently echoed these thoughts and said she doesn’t think the film should be banned from being shown on television.
“It’s nonsense to be quite perfectly honest,” Brenda said on the ITV show in January.
“Everybody’s complaining about this on the tele and it’s not based on true facts. It’s light-hearted, let’s have some fun, let’s sing and dance around our front rooms.”
Brenda continued: "When that came out I never looked at it to think it was this, that or the other. I just looked at it for what it was, great entertainment."
"If you don’t like it, switch off. You don’t have to watch it, it’s pathetic. I just think, 'get over yourselves'," fellow panellist Linda Robson added.
"It’s just entertainment and we all loved watching Grease. I have watched it so many times and I never thought about any of those things. It was set in the 50s and so those things were acceptable in those days."
