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Thursday 29 July 1999City gets glimpse of Travolta charm
BRENDAN KELLY
The GazetteJohn Travolta plays a bad-guy alien in the movie Battlefield Earth, but he was anything but at a jam-packed press conference at a downtown hotel yesterday.
In a half-hour question-and-answer session with 50 journalists from across the province, Travolta lived up to his billing as one of the more charming Hollywood superstars.
He fielded inquiries in both official languages about everything from his thoughts on Montreal to the growing presence of Hollywood production in Canada, and he was never less than personable and articulate.
Even when the loaded question of Scientology reared its head in the final seconds of the press conference, Travolta didn't miss a beat, politely explaining that Battlefield Earth is not a defence of the controversial faith.
The film, now shooting in the Montreal area, is based on a best-selling science-fiction novel by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard.
"I'm very interested in (Scientology), but that's personal," said Travolta, one of the best-known supporters of the religion.
"This is different. This has nothing to do with Scientology
"One is a very successful science-fiction book and the other is a religious philosophy. But I have tremendous interest in the subject of Scientology and love talking about it. It's helped me be who I am today. So I have tremendous pride in it."
Production on Battlefield Earth began July 5 in the Saguenay region. Filming will continue in Montreal for the next 21Ú2 months.
The ambitious independent movie is being co-produced by Travolta and his longtime manager, Jonathan Krane.
Krane was proud to point out yesterday that aside from Travolta and co-star Forest Whitaker, virtually all of the cast members are Canadian. They include Barry Pepper, who made a name for himself as the Bible-quoting sniper in Saving Private Ryan, and young Montrealer Sabine Karsenti.
Travolta had nothing but praise for the Canadian talent working on the film.
"Everyone here is so movie-oriented," he said. "All the local artisans are brilliant at their work, the detail, whether it be wardrobe or props or special effects."
The budget for Battlefield Earth has been estimated to be in the $120-million range, a figure denied by the producers. ("The budget is private, I guess," Travolta said.)
Battlefield Earth is set 800 years in the future. Travolta plays Terl, one of the 10-foot-tall aliens who have colonized Earth and enslaved the remaining humans. Terl, a particularly vicious character, is the head of security for the aliens, who are called Psychlos.
The movie is directed by Roger Christian, who was the set decorator on the first Star Wars film and more recently was director of all the second-unit scenes for The Phantom Menace. It was Star Wars creator George Lucas who suggested to Travolta and Krane that they hire Christian.
Travolta began trying to make Battlefield Earth 15 years ago. At the time, he figured he'd play the hero, a rebellious human named Jonnie who is captured by Terl and trained in the ruthless ways of the Psychlos. Pepper now portrays Jonnie.
"I'll be honest with you. At first I wanted Barry's role," Travolta said. "In 1984, I was younger.
"And by accident, I aged. Also, Pulp Fiction, Broken Arrow, and Face/Off allowed me to be viable as a villain. And suddenly I said: 'I'm too old to do Jonnie, but I'm just the right age to do Terl.' É Believe me, Barry is much better as Jonnie. Imagine me, as fat as I am, running around with guns."
Travolta first made his mark in the mid-1970s as good-looking but not-terribly-bright student Vinnie Barbarino in the TV series Welcome Back, Kotter. He made it into Hollywood's front ranks in 1977 in the disco smash Saturday Night Fever, and followed that Oscar-nominated turn with the hit musical Grease in 1982. But then he virtually disappeared for most of the rest of the decade.
It was only with the lowbrow comedy Look Who's Talking in 1989 and the high-end gangster picture Pulp Fiction in 1994 that he was redeemed in the eyes of both the public and the studio chiefs.
Since his comeback he's been prolific, making films that include Michael and Phenomenon in 1996, Primary Colors and A Civil Action last year, and this summer's The General's Daughter.
Travolta said he doesn't expect another period like the dire post-Grease years any time soon, but admitted he's going to the well often these days to try to make the most of his reign as a box-office champ.
"I'm not afraid that it will all stop, but what you do get afraid of is that the good scripts could stop. There's only a certain time that you're offered the A-plus scripts, and you have to take advantage of that time. Because if you say no too much, then people think you're not available, and it goes to other people.
"I've never been in the seat before where so many really wonderful scripts are there. And if I don't do them, Tom Hanks does them, and if Tom Hanks doesn't do them, it'll go to Tom Cruise or Mel Gibson. It's quite a nice seat to be in."
Travolta confirmed speculation that he has officially dropped out as the lead in The Shipping News, the much-anticipated adaptation of Annie Proulx's award-winning novel set in Newfoundland.
Battlefield Earth will be released next summer by Warner Bros.
(includes two pictures of Travolta, one with caption, "CHRISTINNE MUSCHI, GAZETTE / Travolta ponders a question during press conference at the Intercontinental Hotel." and the other with the caption, "CHRISTINNE MUSCHI, GAZETTE / John Travolta discusses movie in which he plays a 10-foot-tall alien."
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