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on the "A" list has its privileges. John Travolta knows this
perhaps better than anyone. That's why he's making so many movies and
inter-changing roles of hero and villain."I like playing good parts that are well written," Travolta says. "I also like playing good guys, but I'm glad I have the option. Jimmy Cagney had the option, years ago. Humphrey Bogart had the option. I think it's good to have options." In his latest film, Domestic Disturbance, he's back to playing a good guy. He portrays the divorced father of an 11-year-old boy who claims that he saw his new stepfather (Vince Vaughn) commit murder. Travolta's character is the only one to believe his son. Although Travolta says "This guy is more flawed than some I've played," he is, nevertheless, the hero of the piece. And it's quite a switch from Travolta's last film, Swordfish, where he portrays a charismatic spy gone wrong. What's he more suited to? Off-screen, Travolta is definitely closer to the hero. "Yeah, I'm a brave soul," he admitted to |
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Entertainment Tonight. "I'm good
in emergencies. I've been in a few emergencies in my life and I've handled
them well. If you got hurt, I'd protect you. I'd drag you out of a fire
and put you on my shoulder..." In a less flashy, but no less important way, Travolta's devotion to his family is equally admirable. He is married to actress Kelly Preston and they have two children, Jett, 9, and Ella Bleu, 1. When he's working in L.A., he goes home every night. When he's out of town, he goes home every other weekend or brings his children with him. Still, everyone has an Achilles heel. "When I got hired by Quentin Tarantino for Pulp Fiction in 1993, I did not have a real awareness of how totally uncool I had become," Travolta admits. "It was probably self-protection and me not wanting to face the truth." Understandably it must have been a rude awakening. Travolta experienced fame and success very early on in his career. Born in Englewood, New Jersey, in 1954, Travolta always knew he wanted to be an actor. He dropped out of school at 16 to pursue his dream and started acting in local summer stock theatre. After he moved to Hollywood, he appeared in a touring production of Grease before landing the role of high-school wise-guy Vinnie Barbarino in the TV sitcom Welcome Back Kotter in 1975. The 21-year-old's good looks and irresistible cocky manner instantly made him a teen idol. Roles similar to his TV character followed in Carrie, Grease and, most importantly, Saturday Night Fever in 1977 made him the hottest actor in Hollywood. And then the unthinkable happened. Travolta made a slew of bad movies - certain death for almost any actor - and disco died. But Travolta made an incredible comeback as hitman Vincent Vega in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction, for which he earned an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. The success of the film catapulted Travolta's career into the stratosphere once again. Following Pulp Fiction, he made major movies including Get Shorty, which earned him a Golden Globe award, Broken Arrow, Face/Off, The Thin Red Line, and he now commands a salary of up to $20 million per picture. Recent efforts have been less successful. Lucky Numbers rolled a snake eyes with theater-goers and his own movie Battlefield Earth was universally savaged by critics. Should he be worried? Not just yet. Remember Travolta is good in troubled times. And the comeback king knows how to pilot his career through a storm. - Deena Waisburg |