John Travolta and Ella Bleu Travolta in Cannes, on May 15.Credit:Â JB Lacroix/FilmMagic
John Travolta has taken to the skies once again.
The Saturday Night Fever star and lifelong aviation fanatic shared a video of himself piloting his own plane to attend the premiere of his directorial debut, Propeller One-Way Night Coach, at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival.
In the video, Travolta donned a blue velvet jacket and a striking blue beret, presumably to blend in with the French, or to celebrate his status as a director â or both! Heâs also sporting a chin-strap beard and an accompanying mustache, so his overall look is quite distinct from his usual on-screen appearance.
The Pulp Fiction star begins the video with an introduction in French: âAujourdâhui jâai pilotĂ©e mon avion dans la Festival du Cannes,â which roughly translates to âToday I piloted my plane at the Cannes Film Festival.â
Travolta stands in front of a small airplane alongside his daughter, Ella, and says, âWeâre going for the premiere of Propeller One-Way Night Coach. Ella and I are really excited about this. So weâll see you there.â
The video then shows Travolta in the cockpit of the plane addressing his passengers over the intercom â and, crucially, heâs still wearing the beret despite also wearing massive headphones.
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âLadies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. Our flying time tonight to Nice, France, is eight hours and 45 minutes,â he says. âSit back, enjoy the flight, and the champagne is on me.â
Itâs not immediately clear how many passengers were on the plane, so itâs possible Travolta was only addressing his daughter in the intercom moment captured on video. (Entertainment Weekly has reached out to Travoltaâs representatives for further information.)
Upon landing in France, Travolta celebrated his arrival in another video clip. âSo here we are, weâve arrived safely, beautiful flight, and now off to the premiere,â he says in the post.
At the premiere, Travolta wore a black three-piece suit with a white shirt and a white tie. He also switched to a white beret and added glasses to the ensemble. His look at the premiere prompted comparisons to Ed Harrisâ director character Christof from The Truman Show as well as âLL Cool J hosting somethingâ.
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Cannes director Thierry FrĂ©maux presented Travolta with a surprise honorary Palme dâOr, the festivalâs equivalent to a lifetime achievement prize, at the premiere.
âSurprise complĂ©tement!â Travolta said upon receiving the award, per Variety. âI canât believe this. This is the last thing I expected.â
Addressing FrĂ©maux, Travolta added, âYou said this would be a special night, but I didnât know it would mean this. This is a humbling moment. This is beyond the Oscar.â
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Inspired by Travoltaâs first experience on an airplane as a child, Propeller One-Way Night Coach stars Clark Shotwell as a young boy who accompanies his mother on a cross-country flight from Washington, D.C., to Los Angeles in 1962.
âItâs really a movie about a childâs viewpoint of hopefulness,â Travolta told EW of the film in an interview. âWhen youâre young, thatâs what you see in yourself or feel in yourself, and thatâs what you see in other people as well. So, itâs that, along with the ambiance of the mid-century, which is permanently in my mind; I canât shed it. The music, the visuals are just embedded in my DNA. Itâs what gave me that hope. The architecture of the time, the music of the time, the way people dressed â it was this new, fresh, hopeful thing that was happening.â
Propeller One-Way Night Coach will debut on Apple TV on May 29.




