John Travolta arrived at Cannes expecting to premiere a film. He left with something that left him crying.
The 72-year-old actor was surprised on stage at the Debussy Theater on Friday, May 15, when the festival director, Thierry Frémaux, presented him with an honorary Palme d’Or, one of the most prestigious honors in world cinema.
Frémaux called Travolta “one of the greatest actors” deserving of this recognition, taking the star completely off guard.
“I can’t believe this. This is the last thing I expected,” Travolta said, visibly emotional.
“You said this would be a special night, but I didn’t think you meant it. This is a humbling moment. This is beyond the Oscar.”
The evening had already been significant for Travolta, who earlier walked the red carpet alongside the cast of Propeller one-way night bus, his directorial debut, which he also wrote, narrated and produced.
The film, based on his 1997 book of the same name, follows an eight-year-old aviation enthusiast named Jeff who takes a cross-country flight to Hollywood with his mother.
Travolta wrote the original book for his late son Jett, who died in 2009 at the age of 16.
His daughter Ella Bleu Travolta, 26, stars in the film and was by his side throughout the evening, having also accompanied her father on the spectacular journey to get there.
That same day, Travolta piloted his own plane to Nice, documenting the flight on Instagram and signing off with a promise that he would bring champagne for all passengers.
In accepting the honor, Travolta made clear the extent to which the people around him have influenced his work.
“This is the blueprint of my life and everyone who was in the movie is sitting right there in the audience, my family, and that’s why this movie exists and that’s why I exist as an artist because of that group of people that are there,” he said.
