John Travolta can be anywhere–in Hollywood, walking the streets of New York or shopping along Chicago’s Magnificent Mile–and, inevitably, someone will come up to him and quote a line from any one of his films.
“I get so many things,” Travolta said while lounging in a room at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel. “For one guy it might be ‘Pulp Fiction,’ and for another it’s ‘Saturday Night Fever,’ and for another it’s ‘Get Shorty.’ Everyone has a favorite movie. It’s a thrill for me.”
Since first making a name for himself as Vinnie Barbarino in the 1970s hit sitcom “Welcome Back Kotter,” Travolta has managed to span the acting board. Travolta’s next film, “Basic,” opening Friday, reunites him with “Pulp Fiction” co-star Samuel L. Jackson.
In the film, Travolta plays an ex-Army Ranger investigating the disappearance of a sergeant.
Tribune entertainment reporter Terry Armour recently chatted with the 49-year-old Travolta about the chances he has taken during his career.
You’ve said that one of the turning points of your career came when you worked with Brian DePalma in 1981’s “Blow Out.”
It was the first real adult role for me. “Saturday Night Fever” and “Grease” were adolescent, finding-your-own-future types of characters. “Blow Out” was an established man with a profession. It was a weightier role.
Of course, another turning point was working with Quentin Tarantino in 1994’s “Pulp Fiction.”
You and Samuel L. Jackson always have a good chemistry on-screen.
The thing with Sam is we don’t try–we just are. That’s something rare. We just become a rhythm together, become essences together.
“Basic” is a “whodunit” that the audience has to follow closely. Can they handle that?
Audiences are so sharp these days. You have to really address their smartness and let them have some fun figuring it out.
