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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