Hollywood star John Travolta has opened up about making his directorial debut with ‘Propeller One-Way Night Coach’, revealing that decades of observing acclaimed filmmakers such as Quentin Tarantino, Mike Nichols and Robert Altman helped shape his approach behind the camera, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The actor’s first outing as a director is an hour-long adaptation of his 1997 children’s novel Propeller One-Way Night Coach. The film follows a young aviation enthusiast and his mother on a cross-country journey to Hollywood. Travolta also serves as the narrator and makes a brief on-screen appearance.
Speaking at the film’s Los Angeles premiere, Travolta said the project was deeply personal and rooted in his own experiences as a pilot.
The actor noted that while several people had expressed interest in producing and directing the project over the years, he ultimately felt compelled to take charge himself.
“Only I can connect these dots the way it should be connected,” Travolta said, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Reflecting on his transition into directing after more than five decades in the film industry, Travolta said he drew inspiration from some of cinema’s most respected filmmakers.
“I feel that in the 50-plus years I’ve watched directors, I’ve watched great ones, I’ve watched good ones, I’ve watched OK ones, I’ve watched mediocre ones and I’ve watched bad ones, and you sift out what they did right, what they did wrong,” he said,according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“I only used the successful actions of the great ones, Robert Altman, Mike Nichols, Quentin Tarantino, Tony Scott, John Woo, Brian De Palma,” he added.
Travolta explained that years of observing filmmakers at work allowed him to identify what techniques were effective and what should be avoided.
“It’s funny because you let them do all the work for 50 years and you go, ‘OK, this works, that works, that works, that doesn’t work, that doesn’t work,’ and then you put it in a totality, and then finally you go, ‘That’s how you direct a movie, that’s what should be done,'” he said, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The actor also revealed that he screened an early version of the film for a well-known filmmaker who offered a valuable piece of advice.
“I showed an early cut to a very famous person who’s also a director, and they gave me one note, which was excellent,” Travolta shared, though he declined to reveal the filmmaker’s identity.
The film stars newcomer Clark Shotwell as the young aviation enthusiast, while Kelly Eviston-Quinnett plays his mother. Travolta’s daughter, Ella Bleu Travolta, appears in the film as a flight attendant.
Ella praised her father’s work as a director, saying he brought both enthusiasm and clarity to the set.
“He knew exactly what he was looking for for all of these performances, so he knew exactly what to ask for — he’d never do more than two or three takes, he knew exactly when he had it,” she said, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The family connection extends beyond Ella’s role, with all five of Travolta’s siblings also making appearances in the movie.
“It was the coolest thing ever. We do plays and shows at home all the time, so now we’re just doing it in a different setting,” Ella said.
After premiering the film at Cannes, where Travolta received a surprise Palme d’Or, the actor suggested that directing may remain a one-time experience, having fulfilled a long-held passion project.
Looking ahead, Travolta said the film’s message reflects his own outlook on life.
“It’s about always having something to look forward to and see the world glass half-full, not half-empty, and that’s how I view life. I still view life that way,” he said, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“So, I’m ready for life to invite me to do something that I might find more interesting than things I’ve done in the past.”
Propeller One-Way Night Coach is currently streaming on Apple TV. (ANI)
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