John Travolta in 1978: Already Wary at the Height of His 'Fever' Fame

Hollywood Time Capsule is a weekly series highlighting classic pieces of long-form film journalism of years past, when stars and directors could be surprisingly candid.

TITLE: “Struttin’ His Stuff,” Rolling Stone, June 15, 1978

AUTHOR: Tom Burke

SUBJECT: John Travolta in the middle of 1978, 24 years old, promoting Grease, and in the midst of moving from innocence to jadedness. Still in his Welcome Back, Kotter contract, he’s clearly ready for the Vinnie Barbarino fans screaming from the live studio audience in Burbank to give it a rest. On his plate at this moment: American Gigolo, which would end up as a career highlight for Richard Gere instead, and a possible starring role in a Godfather sequel.

WHAT MAKES IT SUCH A PAGE-TURNER: 

Travolta hadn’t done many interviews for Saturday Night Fever — his girlfriend, Diana Hyland, died during filming — and superstardom has already made him guarded. (The author of a contemporaneous Playboy interview even admitted to readers that, after nine hours spent together, “It was obvious that I would not see him drop his defenses.”) A bit of Scientology lingo that he drops into the conversation prompts questioning, and he chats for a minute about E-meters before winding up at “I get answers that way, Okay?”

Burke is suspicious, too. He addresses the do-not-ask list he’s been given by the publicist, notes the way Travolta tries to flip questions back to the interviewer, and wonders, “Why is it so inviting to mistrust him?” Those dreamy eyes, after all, belong to a young man who “made it too big, too fast.”

And so much of the story becomes about Travolta’s ambition and control: He’s already taken the reins of his career, calculating which roles will pay off and why. He also selects his own publicity stills. But, he insists, “I care about product, not P.R.,” and both author and subject are more interested in discussing the substantial Saturday Night Fever than the confectionary Grease, which is the ostensible reason for the article.

Travolta seems a little less cocky here than he had when talking to People a year earlier, when he compared his career favorably to Henry Winkler's and took credit for the success of Carrie. “It was a small part,” he modestly revises for Burke. “I didn’t think I’d get much noticed in it. Which I didn’t.” He’s so full of humility, in fact, that after a moment of defensiveness about income, he confides to Burke, “I’m in the fifty-percent tax bracket.”

Burke’s curveball is to get you to root for Travolta, who after 10,000 fan letters a week and a stream of autograph hounds at every meal, still chooses to attend family dinners at the homes of the nutty young locals he met on Fever’s Bay Ridge, Brooklyn set. Most importantly, Burke skillfully breaks down what makes Travolta a great actor — and compels you to re-watch his movies as soon as you’ve finished the article. You’ll see how that unfolds as you read here.

Photo credit: © Getty Images