John Travolta breaks his silence on unrecognizable viral Cannes appearance

John Travolta went viral last week after his appearance at the Cannes Film Festival had fans doing a double-take.

The 72-year-old looked unrecognizable at the premiere of his directorial debut, Propeller One-Way Night Coach, on Friday, wearing a white beret, spectacles, and very neatly trimmed facial hair; it almost looked as though his moustache and beard had been drawn on. 

The following day, he stepped out for the film’s photocall, wearing a black beret paired with black wire-rimmed glasses.

John gave fans a sneak peek at his new look in an Instagram video ahead of the festival, and fans were in disbelief over his appearance, with one stating: “It does not look like him at all.”

The Pulp Fiction star has since explained the reason behind his viral beret-wearing look, admitting he wanted to be seen as a director, and not an actor.

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“I said, ‘I’m a director this time. You’re an actor, play the part of a director, look like an old-school director,'” he explained to CNN.

“So I looked up pictures from the ’20, ’30s, ’40s, ’50, ’60s, and the old-school directors wore berets, and the glasses, and I thought, ‘That’s what I’m doing. I’m doing an homage to being a director, so I’m going to play the part of being a director.'”

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John said that his stand-out look would also help him remember the moment. “I’ll know — ‘Oh, that was Propeller One-Way Night Coach, that was Cannes, that’s when I won the Palme d’Or,’ and I’ll have a vividness of it.” 

John received an honorary Palm d’Or award – Cannes’ highest honour and the equivalent of a lifetime achievement award – at this year’s festival.

“I can’t believe this. This is the last thing I expected,” John said while accepting the honour. “You said this would be a special night, but I didn’t think you meant this. This is a humbling moment. This is beyond the Oscar.”

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The actor later revealed he had already been emotional simply learning that his film had been accepted into competition. “When Thierry [Frémaux] said it was making history because it would be the first film being accepted that early, I cried like a baby,” he admitted.

Propeller One-Way Night Coach is based on John’s 1997 children’s novel of the same name. 

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“Set in the golden age of aviation, the story follows a young airplane enthusiast, Jeff (played by newcomer Clark Shotwell), and his mother (Kelly Eviston-Quinnett), who set off on a one-way cross-country odyssey to Hollywood, which transforms a simple flight into the trip of a lifetime,” according to the synopsis.

“Between airline meals, charming flight attendants (played by Ella Bleu Travolta and Olga Hoffman), unexpected stopovers, larger-than-life passengers, and a thrilling glimpse at first class, the journey unfolds in moments both magical and unexpected, charting the course for the boy’s future.”