The bad girl of Neighbours was nowhere to be seen at the launch of Grease in Sydney this week. Natalie Bassingthwaighte, who plays Izzy Hoyland in the TV soap, was as sweet as Sandy in the company of fellow Grease cast members. "I'm really keen to get people thinking that I'm a nice girl," Bassingthwaighte said. "My role on Neighbours is more challenging and exciting and it's very juicy creatively to play the bad girl, but trying to convince the audiences that I'm as nice as Sandy is presenting a challenge," she said. "I get a buzz of energy running through my whole body when I'm on stage."

Bassingthwaighte, who played Sandy in a regional big top production of Grease four years ago, said: "As soon as I heard it was coming back, I rang my agent and told her that I had to have that part. It's such an iconic role. Every girl dreams of being Sandy just as every boy secretly dreams of being Danny. No one, not even Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta, really knows why this has turned into such a bizarre phenomenon. Maybe we just put smiles on people's faces."