Entertainment:John Travolta Doesn’t Regret a Thing

The iconic actor of films like Saturday Night Fever and Pulp Fiction discusses his new film, The Forger, the media, and those allegations.

John Travolta is an enigma. To cineastes and pop culture enthusiasts, the 60-year-old actor is an intriguing mélange of iconic film performances, bizarre sexual allegations, and that whole Scientology thing. His latest legal entanglement concerns an alleged former pilot who claims the two engaged in a six-year affair and is threatening to unleash a tell-all. And the media silence on the part of the notoriously tight-lipped Travolta, who doesn’t grant too many interviews, only adds to the actor’s overall mystique. One thing that’s undeniable is the man’s resume, including film classics like Carrie, Saturday Night Fever, Blow Out, Pulp Fiction, the list goes on.
He’s in Toronto for The Forger, a drama that stars Travolta as a two-bit art forger who strikes a deal to get out of prison by working for his father (Christopher Plummer) so that he can be closer to his dying son (Tye Sheridan, Mud) who has been diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer. The film, directed by Philip Martin, made its premiere at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival.
The Daily Beast sat down with Travolta for a wide-ranging discussion about his greatest hits and public persona.
With The Forger, the aspect of the story I found most engaging was the relationship between your character and your onscreen son, played by Tye Sheridan. I couldn’t help but feel like, given your personal history with your son, you brought some of yourself into the character.
Everyone has their life that they’ve lived, and I can’t help it. I wear whatever I’ve lived. But I’m an actor that lives in the moment, too. When I looked at Tye, I was pretending that he was my son, and I looked for his organic reaction to me, and vice versa. You can glance at your personal experiences, and it can make you go to a deep level. When I did Saturday Night Fever, my girlfriend had just passed away and I wasn’t aware that I was wearing the grief of her. But in the scene where the girl kisses me on the cheek, I start to cry. Her tenderness made me cry. How much of that had to do with my personal life or not, I don’t know, but there’s always a mix of what you’re wearing as a human being and the literalness of the script.
I was just out in Venice talking to Sopranos creator David Chase, and we discussed how generous the late James Gandolfini was. I read a story about how he was very kind to you in the wake of your son’s passing.
He wouldn’t leave town after my son passed. He wanted to make sure I was okay, you know? That was the kind of heart he had. I did five movies with him—or six?—and my Dad sold tires to his Dad. He saw my picture in my Dad’s shop and said, “I want to do that.” I was his first inspiration to get into acting. He thought, “If this guy can do it, I can do it.
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