When Your Career Is All Over the Place - John Travolta

John Travolta's acting career was all over the place not many actors experienced the trajectory he had from receiving an Oscar nomination to getting four Razzy nods followed by another Oscar nod and then securing four Razzy wins even his iconic performance in Pulp Fiction is sandwiched between two worst actor of the decade nominations it's truly a roller coaster of a career one of the most fascinating ones out there so today we'll be taking a look at the rise and fall and rise and fall of John Travolta I can't talk too long I got to he went from being one of the hottest young actors to being considered a hasband who only appears in talking baby movies then he experienced one of Hollywood's biggest comebacks only to squander it and fall to new Lowe's to the point where we only hear about him when he does something bizarre at the Oscars yet somehow he managed to come out on top even owning a private airport within his Mansion Travolta kicked off his career in a way most people can only dream of coming from a family passionate about acting he decided to drop out of high school in 1971 to chase his dreams he got a start in New York diving into theater plays before making the move to Los Angeles to try his luck in TV and film he popped up here and there on shows in the early to mid '70s until he landed his big break as Vinnie barbarino in welcome back cter the show ran for Four Seasons from 1975 to 1979 and that's where audiences first fell for Travolta's charming and cocky vibe in 1975 Travolta made his big screen debut with a tiny role in the devil's Reign but he scored a much bigger part in Brian depalma's carry the following year then in 19 19 77 the whole world caught Travolta fever with the release of Saturday Night Fever well maybe it's not entirely fair to say it started there because he'd been building up a fan base for years especially with his music career even hitting number 10 on the Billboard top 100s with a single things got so wild on the film said that they had to film outdoor scenes super early in the morning to avoid his fans causing a ruckus the film featured a 23-year-old Travolta tearing up the Dance Floor was some of the most iconic moves ever seen on screen critics raved about how he seemed to completely inhabit the role earning him a best actor Oscar nomination and making him one of the youngest to do so the film with its $3.5 million budget was to no one's surprise a huge box office hit Travolta did Saturday Night Fever as part of a three-film deal and his next film in his contract 1978's Greece was an even bigger hit in this musical romcom Travolta continued to charm audiences as the Greaser Danny Zuko while it didn't quite get the rave reviews as his previous film it was still a massive hit with two back-to-back successes Travolta was solidifying his status as a leading man who can pull in crowds critics even said the movie was exciting only when Travolta is on the screen but would he make it three for three with his next film Moment by moment no the film tanked at the box office and got shredded by critics most of whom blamed the lack of Chemistry Between Travolta and his co-star Lily Tomlin apparently even 2 weeks into filming most of the crew knew it was headed for disaster but hey it was just a minor stumble for Travolta because he bounced back big time with 1980s Urban Cowboy which was a hit both commercial and critically the 80s weren't exactly smooth sailing for Travolta they almost tanked his career but which film was the culprit well there are a few suspects first up we've got 1981's blowout where he teamed up with Palma again this one was a departure from Travolta's usual films more of a mystery thriller that was originally supposed to Star alucino instead of him even though he was stepping out of his comfort zone he delivered a solid performance earning his highest reviews yet but sadly it bombed at the box office it really makes you wonder where his career would have went if this film didn't flop so he instead played it safe by diving back into familiar territory with Staying Alive the sequel to Saturday Night Fever it took years to convince Travolta to take on the role because he's super picky with his films a trait will see popping up a lot eventually they made the film with a whopping $22 million budget set 6 years after the original and with Sylvester Stallone directing predictably it raked in the cash of the box office but the critics weren't having it it earned Travolta his first Razzy nomination which he shared with his performance in Two of a Kind critics ripped it apart calling it shockingly embarrassing and dubbing it the worst sequel ever and Travolta actually deserves a lot of the blame here because he influenced the pick for Stallone directing and made a lot of changes to the story things didn't get any better with perfect in 1985 Travolta played a reporter opposite jaam Lee Curtis but the film bombed both commercially and critically one critic summed it up as a trashy movie about women jumping up and down in leotards another Razzy nod For Worse actor and a 4-year Hiatus from feature film films followed Hollywood dropped him almost as quickly as it picked him up when you start churning out commercial flops alongside critical failures there's not going to be much room left for you in the industry but Travolta wasn't just sitting around doing nothing during those four years he still snagged roles in TV films and kept up with his Aviation hobby that he's been into since 1978 he starred in 1989's The Experts that tanked so hard because the executives decided against giving it a wide release after seeing the final product this along with his previous flops earned him a nomination for worst actor of the decade but sometimes you just got to wait for the right role to come along and later that year it did he finally struck gold with luu's talking the film stars Travolta and a talking baby voiced by Bruce Willis critics didn't love it but it made Bank on its $7.5 million budget Travolta was back in a way and did the only logical thing starring Look Who's Talking Too although not as good as the first one it was still a hit the problem was it didn't do much to revive his career he was still has been who now stars in talking baby movies and even that gig dried up when the third film bombed then came another box office disaster in 1991 with shout earning him yet another worse actor nod and then he took part in a film only released in Europe things weren't looking too good for him in this new decade but everything changed in 1994 when he landed the role of the Hitman Vincent bega and Quinton Tarantino's Pulp Fiction initially the role was slated for Michael Matson who played Vince's brother in Reservoir Dogs but he opted for a different film despite producers nudging for other actors Tarantino saw something in Travolta who is one of his favorite actors Travolta being quite picky took a whole 6 months to say yes and did so at a reduced salary and he's probably happy he did because it became one of Hollywood's biggest career revivals the film was a monstrous hit against its $8.5 million budget and received rave reviews from critics with seven Oscar nominations and one win the film is often hailed as one of the best but what's even more impressive is its impact on Travolta's career all performances were praised especially trolas where he delivered a much more subtle performance than usual showcasing his acting range Beyond just charm Pulp Fiction proved Travolta could act and made him cool again the rest of the decade kept him extremely busy receiving offers like never before Tarantino guided him on script choices many of which led to hits in 1995 he starting Get Shorty as a lone shark which was a hit there was a slight misstep the same year with White Man's Burden though his performance was a standout but 1996 was Travolta's year starting in three box office hits Broken Arrow phenomenon and Michael they weren't critically acclaimed but hey money talks and his performances weren't the issue during this career Resurgence Travolta commended $20 million per film but the new surge of offers did stress him out a bit in 1995 he expressed it's exciting but my concern is am I a prince for a year and now it's all over it's been 18 years since Saturday Night Fever so I thought will it be another 18 years the peak of the Travolta Renaissance was marked by John joh Woo's face off in 1997 starring opposite Nicholas Cage it's one of the wildest action thrillers I've ever seen it's like a crazy game of cotton mouse with face transplants thrown into the mix resulting in them playing each other playing the other character some of the most fun performances I've ever seen and critics and audiences agree though 1997 was as busy as 1996 for Travolta it didn't quite reach the same Heights his next two films she's so lovely and mad city signal the beginning of his next Downfall with both of them flopping in 19 98 primary colors had Travolta playing a governor running for president earning good reviews and a Golden Globe nomination for him but it failed to draw audiences that same year he started as a lawyer in a civil action which received mediocre reviews and bombed at the box office and he'd go on to have one more hit with the General's daughter in 1999 before starring in his worst film ever the year 2000 a new millennium so much hope and optimism for the future coming off a rough patch of films Travolta needed something to bounce back with you know the saying New Millennium new me well we did get a new Travolta a much much worse one in Battlefield Earth it's known as one of the worst films ever made bagging nine Razzi Awards including worst picture of the decade and my personal favorite worst screen couple for Travolta and anyone he shared the screen with it did just as bad critically as it did at the box office but you can't just brush it off as bad luck because travola had a lot of involvement in making the film the film is set in 3000 ad and follows an alien race that that enslaved Humanity it's based on the 1982 book of the same name written by none other than elron Hubbert the founder of Scientology Travolta a Scientologist since 1975 had been trying to get the film made since the 80s but had to put it on hold when his career hit a slump but with his Revival from Pulp Fiction he was back as an a-lister with enough sway to get this film made in an interview he said Battlefield Earth is the Pinnacle of using my power for something I told my manager if we can't do the things now that we want to do what good is this power Let's test it and try to get the things done that we believe in he co-produced the film and put $5 million of his own money into it but had some difficulty finding a studio to pick it up until he found franchise pictures leading up to the release he hyped up the book calling it like Star Wars only better and like Pulp Fiction for the year 3000 he also hyped up the script calling it The Schindler's List of Science Fiction but not everyone shares those opinions the film got shredded every aspect of it was torn apart from headache inducing cinematography to laughable special effects and parody likee performances there was also a lot of controversy leading up to the release due to the film Scientology ties where people were worried they tried to attract kids which didn't help in the box office it was a mess of a movie that Travolta even hoped would be a two-parter and the cherry on top was franchise pictures going bankrupt because of getting sued for overinflating the budget entertainment AG paid 47% of the film's budget for European distribution rights only to find out they were actually paying 60 to 90% the next 5 years were still a bit rough for Travolta all critical flops and mediocre box office numbers but hey he only got one Razzy nod he surprised us with a couple more hits in 2007 though with wild hogs and hairspray wild hogs despite terrible reviews Mark Travolta's first $100 million plus film since 1999 but he had to work with some other notable actors to draw in the audience and in the critically acclaimed hairspray he starred as Edna which was a huge hit and even nabbed a Golden Globe nomination for supporting actor then he voided bolt in Bolt the following year which did well and he started opposite Denzel Washington in The Taking of pelum 123 where he played a hijacker of a New York City subway train the film performed mediocrely overall and some critics said Travolta was very unbelievable as a villain and always has been Travolta's career was on a downward spiral but it was about to hit rock bottom he earned another worse actor nod with old dogs co-starring alongside Robin Williams had poor box office numbers with From Paris With Love he had a small role in Savages which did okay Killing season was terrible on all fronts with Travolta sporting a dreadful accent the forager received terrible reviews and then it was just a string of Bargain Bin straight to DVD films for the rest of his career 2016's in a valley of violence was actually pretty good though and he made his TV comeback with the people versus OJ that same year even grabbing an Emmy nomination some claimed it was his best performance since Pulp Fiction but any hopes of a comeback vanished when he sted in four films in a row with 0% on Rotten Tomatoes he entered the phase that most most aging actors do where they cash in on big paychecks for these direct to video films with only their names being the main draw Aviation as a hobby is expensive and Travolta was essentially doing these films to fund it he even has a mansion with two spots to park his Planes in a 7500t Runway but Travolta denies that he's just phoning it in saying I don't arbitrarily just say yes to something but if it has content that I believed in I would partake in it but it's a little hard to believe especially with him accepting roles in godi and The Fanatic which almost rival Battlefield Earth levels of bad he was even nominated for worst screen combo with the nomination being for him and any screenplay he accepts critics might hate these films but he's enjoying them even going out of his way to defend the fanatic and naming it his favorite film and it might seem like he's been living the good life making bank from Easy roles but he's been through a lot lately in 2009 his 16-year-old son jet died from a seizure while on a Christmas vacation trip and his wife actress Kelly Preston recently died in 2020 from breast cancer both times he took a small break from acting but both times he came back with this charming positive attitude and didn't skip a beat so that's the story of John Travolta's career up to now quite a wild ride right it's been like a roller coaster with so many memorable highs and lows it's very difficult to pinpoint what kind of actor he was at times he delivered Great Performances but other times let's just say it didn't quite hit the mark maybe it was his on-screen presence that initially hooked audiences but his career often relied on the strengths of the scripts he chose rather than solely His Own acting and sometimes him getting too involved in the film only made things worse I've never seen a career swing quite as dramatically maybe only Marlin brand could rival it yet unlike Brando Travolta didn't seem to stir up much drama on set he genuinely liked acting even in his worst forms in the end what sticks with you most are his standout performances in his best films his remarkable comeback in Hollywood and the undeniable charm he's exuded throughout his journey although sometimes it may have been a bit too much so there you have it mon Travolta's wild career are there any other actors who had the highest of highs and the lowest of lows like he did share your thoughts below if you enjoyed the video drop a like And subscribe and check out our patreon for some cool perks but until next time have a good one

Channel: FilmStack

Views: 188,132

Keywords: John travolta, Saturday night fever, grease, pulp fiction, face off, best 70s actors, best 90s actors, get shorty, battlefield earth, worst actor of the decade, hairspray, bolt, wild hogs, broken arrow, DVD actors, welcome back kotter, old dogs, gotti, the fanatic, worst film of all time, inconsistent actor, weirdest travolta, travolta good or bad, biggest career comeback, pulp fiction best, best film ever, Vincent vega, best dance in film

Id: VVbSTSJdO7w

Length: 14min 15sec (855 seconds)

Published: Fri Mar 22 2024