Behind The Scenes

They say there is no rest for the wicked, and this was the case for Travolta. Just four short days after filming on “Saturday Night Fever” wrapped, Travolta started working on his next hit movie, “Grease.” This was the biggest box office hit of 1978, so it’s no surprise he wanted to get stuck in straight away. This was an especially difficult time for Travolta as his girlfriend, Diana Hyland had recently passed away in his arms.

According to the “Grease” director, Randal Kleiser, Travolta was having trouble lip-syncing the words “heat lap trials” and kept on saying, “heap” instead. As a professional, Travolta eventually got there and was able to lip sync correctly.

Welcome Back, Kotter

After finishing his tour with the “Grease” cast, Travolta was extremely successful and enjoying a glamorous lifestyle. He was thrilled to join ABC’s well-liked show “Welcome Back, Kotter” as Vinnie Barbarino, a role he played as a rebellious character for four great years.

Along the way, he won the hearts of women of all ages across the United States and further afield. Reflecting on the show in the years since Travolta has noticed similarities with his character Vinnie.

Rejected Role Of A Lifetime

By 1984, Travolta could choose the roles he liked. He got offered the main part in a movie named “Splash,” where Daryl Hannah played a mermaid in New York City. Several famous actors, like Michael Keaton, Bill Murray, Dudley Moore, Allen Bauer, and Chevy Chase, said no to the role. Eventually, Tom Hanks took on the opportunity.

Travolta was discouraged by his agent who thought it wasn’t the right role for him at the time. This turned out to be a mistake as it was one of the huge box office hits of the year. Who knows how popular it could have been with Travolta in the starring role.

Qantas Ambassador

From a young age, Travolta loved aviation and flying. He got his private pilot’s license and owned five airplanes. After the 9/11 attacks in 2001, Travolta became an “Ambassador-at-large” for Qantas Airways. His goal was to encourage people to keep using airplanes despite the tragic events of that day.

It may seem strange that Travolta would link up with Qantas, who are in fact the Australian national airline, but Travolta was always impressed with their safety record and is known for flying the longest routes around the world. It was through Qantas that Travolta purchased his Boeing 707 aircraft, the most impressive in his fleet.

Travolta’s Mansions

Like many celebrities, the Travoltas have a lot of money and can buy luxurious houses. They own four homes in Maine, California, Hawaii, and their biggest one in Ocala, Florida, where they live most of the time. What’s really special about their Florida home is that it has its own airport with two runways that go right up to their front door.

The home is actually situated in a residential airpark. The Travoltas chose this location on purpose as they wanted to be able to access their airplanes at any time. In an interview with Australia’s Today program, Travolta was quoted in saying that “We designed the house for the jets and to have at our access the world at a moment’s notice.”

Dream Co-Pilots

Travolta really loves planes and flying, which is awesome. He’s been fortunate to share this passion with his good friend Marlon Brando, flying together as co-pilots on several flights. Travolta had hoped to fly alongside legendary aviators like Howard Hughes, a brilliant but troubled man known for his skills in aviation.

Hughes was brought back to life in the film, “The Aviator” when Leonardo DiCaprio took on the role. His other dream co-pilot would have been Charles Lindbergh who was the first person to fly solo, non-stop all the way over the Atlantic Ocean. Unfortunately, both of these ambitions will remain dreams for John as both Lindbergh and Hughes sadly passed away many years ago.