PankajThe “John-aissance”
The tables began to turn once again for John Travolta when he starred opposite Kirstie Alley as a young taxi driver in “Look Who’s Talking.” The movie was released in 1989 and made a phenomenal $297 million at the box office. The producers knew they were on to a winner as this was Travolta’s biggest box office win since “Grease.” They decided to make a number of sequels ushering in a new era of success.
Some called this his “John-aissance,” which was well and truly in full swing when in 1994 he was offered a role in Quinten Tarantino’s new movie, “Pulp Fiction.” Travolta played opposite Samuel L Jackson and earned himself an Academy Award Nomination for best actor for his role as Vincent Vega. This was almost like a rebirth for Travolta reaching new heights and successes. Of course with this was more fame and fortune.
A-List Actor
“Pulp Fiction” may not have been big budget, but it had catapulted Travolta into an area of A-list movies with top actors. In the long string of successful films for which he was given top roles during the nineties included playing opposite Nicolas Cage as an FBI agent in the thriller, “Faceoff.”
He also played the role of a loan shark in “Get Shorty” and as an attorney in “Civil Action.” It wasn’t until the end of the nineties when John Travolta was cast as a presidential candidate who was similar in many ways to Bill Clinton in the movie “Primary Colors.” The role was demanding and challenging, and Travolta would have to make some drastic changes to his appearance to make the character believable.
Weight Gain
For his role in “Primary Colors” in 1998, for which he would be portraying a Presidential candidate similar to Bill Clinton, the directors, and producers thought it might be more believable if Travolta gained some weight to portray the role.
They asked him to gain about thirty pounds which was a departure from his slim and sleek physique in movies like “Grease” and “Saturday Night Fever.” To make this happen, he said he got to binge-eat burgers and junk food, to which he admitted to enjoying. “It’s been fun gaining it,” he said. Of course, Travolta would eventually undo all of that “hard work” for future projects.
Oscars Embarrassment
When it comes to acting, you are always on the stage, but there is no bigger stage than the Academy Awards ceremony. Travolta managed to embarrass himself when in 2014 he introduced Idina Menzel as Adele Dazeem. Surely he’s learned to read and autocue by now? He received lots of criticism for his mistake, but he took it in good spirits and sent the singer his apologies with a large bouquet of flowers.
Menzel accepted his apology but got her own back the following year when the roles were reversed, and she introduced him as “Glom Gazino.” Everyone got a good laugh, but it got a bit uncomfortable when he joined her on stage and caressed her face. No one was quite sure what was going on, but everyone took it in good spirits.
Another Oscar Oops
This wasn’t the only time John Travolta would get himself into hot water. There was another unfortunate incident at the Oscars that same year when on the red carpet, Travolta approached Scarlett Johansson to give her a kiss hello just as she was being snapped by photographers. The result was an awkward-looking surprise kiss.
Johansson was quick to jump to the defense of John Travolta saying that within the context it was a welcome gesture and was very sweet. She continued on to say, “That still photo does not reflect what preceded and followed if you see the moment live.” They say a picture says a thousand words, but sometimes you need a few extra to explain things.